Roses AKA Harry Potter and the Overbearing OC
by Burnse
Summary: Some people say that it’s not the storyline it’s how it’s written. I’m putting this theory to the test. This is a story about a quest for power, a forbidden relationship and an OC, all in Hogwarts 6th year. Give it a chance. You may be surprised. DEAD END
1. Default Chapter

Prologue:

Harry and Victoria Potter (Twins) have survived Fifth year and will soon be beginning the Sixth Year at Hogwarts. Many things have changed since last year. Sirius Black has been found not guilty of murder and has become Harry's legal guardian (Ignore the facts from the fifth book). Draco Malfoy's father has been caught with a large assortment of illegal magical equipment and has been sentenced to 20 years in Azkaban. Because of this, Lucius Malfoy's wife Narcissa divorced him, taking Malfoy with her. When Harry, Tori and Sirius were in Diagon Alley spending the day out, they ran into Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. Oddly enough, Sirius and Narcissa fell for each other. The wedding is to be held on the 12th of July, but meanwhile, the Potter twins and Sirius are staying at Malfoy Manor. Two weeks before the next Hogwarts term begins and there is tension in the air. Will these three enemies put aside their differences? Or will they become dog, cat and mouse? Well I'm not going to tell you! Read for yourself Chapter one of 'Roses'.

Chapter One: The Beginning Of Chaos…

'In the grass is a rose, with pretty white petals, delicate green leaves and a long stem. One is tempted to pick it for a bouquet. The hand reaches forward to yank the plant from the soil it lives in. The hand closes on the stem, before withdrawing to the owner, stained with a drop of red. In the soft flesh is a single black thorn. A subtle warning.'

#### ####

"I'll be happy if I never hear from that git again!" Victoria shouted as she slammed the door behind her. "Of all the boys who have to be my step-brother, why him? Why not Dean, or Seamus, or even Neville? But MALFOY!?"

She glared at the wardrobe, pointing her wand; and the doors flung open, sending her clothes flying everywhere. With a wave of her hand all the bottles on the dressing table shattered and leaked onto the floor.

She looked at the mirror before throwing her fist at it with an ear-splitting CRACK!

She stared around her room at what she had done and fell back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. Sirius would be shocked if he had seen how fast she had destroyed this room. Fortunately he was at the Ministry signing paperwork.

With embarrassment she realised the window was open and her underwear was hanging on the corner of the sill. She snatched it off and threw it onto the floor, staring at it with dislike, imaging what Malfoy would do if he saw her underwear flapping out the window like a distress signal. Probably choke with laughter.

Just to make sure, Victoria stuck her head out of the window and checked the ground below. Harry was wandering about, but Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Good.

She ducked her head back inside, just as her bedroom doors opened. Malfoy waltzed in and stopped dead in his tracks, his silver eyes wide.

"What have you done to this place? I don't recall hearing Mother say you could wreck late Uncle Theodore's bedroom." He glared at her.

Victoria looked at him coldly, "What are you doing in my bedroom?! Get out! Haven't you realised that privacy is sacred to me?"

"Yes, I gathered that by your lack of friends…" Muttered Malfoy.

"Out!" she yelled.

"Ok, fine, I just wanted my book back." Malfoy turned around and walked back out again, picking up the novel off the chair, which surprisingly was still standing.

Victoria watched him leave, her arms crossed.

Reaching for the handle, Malfoy turned his head and said quickly, "Nice undies." and fled, slamming the door closed.

Victoria bashed into the door and fell back. In her rage she got out her wand and pointed.

"Incendio!"

Flames leapt from her wand and ate away at the wood. Recovering her senses, she extinguished the fire with a jet of gold water. Smoke curled up from the doors edges.

Victoria sat there for the next few minutes, glaring at it and wishing she was back at Hogwarts, where she wouldn't have to speak to that git unless it was life-threateningly necessary.

But the school holidays still had two weeks left and Harry hadn't received a letter from Ron inviting him over yet.

There was nothing to do but read. And the Malfoy library was not a nice place for an innocent mind. Blood, gore and dark arts.

_'Some holiday.' _She thought grumpily.

#### ####

Victoria entered the dining room and sat near the end of the table. She had just spent the last twenty minutes inventing ways to have Sirius still marry Narcissa but leave Malfoy out of it, to no avail. Ignoring Harry's attempts at conversation with her, she stared at the tablecloth and continued brainstorming.

The door opened again and soft tapping on the marble floor could be heard. The sound halted near her.

A slender, milk white hand came into her field of vision, blocking the tablecloth.

With a sigh she straightened up and turned to face Malfoy. The first thing she saw when she looked at him were his eyes. They were dark grey.

"Victoria, are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"Sure, I'm fine, great, never been better." She replied quickly.

"Then get out of my seat."

"What do you mean, your seat?"

"I always sit there."

"Well I hear a change is good for people."

"Then you won't mind not getting your own way."

"Nice try mate, but I'm not moving."

Malfoy sighed with exasperation and sat down beside her. "Stubborn cow." He swore under his breath.

"I know you are." She replied, mentally scolding herself for using such a childish phrase.

Malfoy's head made a thud as it hit the table.

"Keep doing that and maybe I can beat you at fencing this afternoon."

"It's nice you finally acknowledge my superiority with swords." Malfoy replied straightening.

"Remember that when I scrape you off my blade." She replied. '_Egotistical jerk.'_ she thought to herself.

"Why thank you." Malfoy replied.

"I said that out loud?" 

"Oh, was that unintentional?"

"Don't start with me, you egocentric, malicious, sadistic dragon."

"That's rich, you're the one who read "Ancient Torture and Punishment of Egypt."

"Shut up, Harry might hear you!' "Too late Tori." Harry leant across the table. "Just what were you doing reading that book?" "Finding ways to punish and delight me..." answered Malfoy in a drawling tone. "Now there's a wholesome activity." Victoria gagged. "A tip 'Tori'. Generally you chew before swallowing.' said an innocent sounding Malfoy. "Genius! That never would have occurred to me!' she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "She actually admits it." Harry chimed. "That was uncalled for!" "You deserved it." 

"Then you deserve this."

"Ow! Keep your foot away from my shins!"

"Keep your nose out of my affairs!"

"Keep your cat away from Hedwig."

"Keep your owl away from Blaze."

"Keep your-"

"Alright, I'd love to sit and listen to this," Malfoy interrupted, "but my intellectual capacity passes that of a toddlers so I don't find it as enthralling as you two."

"Shut up Malfoy!" Harry and Victoria spat.__

Victoria broke off the conversation by moving three seats down for the rest of lunch.

#### ####

Victoria walked to the Fencing Room and waited for Malfoy. The Fencing Room was polished wooden floor, coat hooks and glass cases filled with the largest assortment of blades in Britain. Although most were ordinary ones you could buy in a muggle forge, some had magic woven in the blade or hilt, and these ones Victoria usually examined when waiting.

One she particularly liked had a golden hilt with sapphires embedded down the length of it. Where the blade joined there was an emerald the size of a hens egg. The silver blade was fine and had patterns carved lightly into the face. All in all it was a beautiful piece of metalwork and jewels.

As she gazed at it a blue light sparkled inside the sapphires. It seemed to do this every time she looked at it directly. In her peripheral vision she noticed a glitter. Directing her gaze to the emerald she stared. A bright light was pulsing inside the jewel. When she moved her head to look closer, it flared, illuminating the entire room.

Victoria screwed her eyes shut to avoid the glare and shook her head.

When her vision cleared, there was nothing unusual. The emerald was a dark green, no white light, just green rock.

_'I must have imagined it.' _She thought dubiously.

However, she still eyed the rocks suspiciously.

"Crystal gazing?" A voice asked near her ear.

Flicking her head sharply she came face to face with Malfoy.

Startled, she jumped back and smashed into another case. The glass shattered and she fell to the floor. A large object hit her in the leg before landing with a clang beside her.

Sitting up, she rubbed the pain from her leg and glared at the tittering blonde. "That wasn't funny!"

Malfoy replied, "No, you're right, it wasn't." That didn't stop him from sniggering though.

Walking over to her he picked up the fallen sword and placed it back in its case. He tapped the frame; "Reparo." The shards of glass flew back into place.

Victoria got to her feet quickly. "If you're quite done cleaning, may we begin?" she asked.

Malfoy gave her an odd look and went over to two other cases at the back of the room. He opened the cases and took out two identical practice swords that were used in fencing.

He gave her one and walked to the centre of the room.

Victoria pressed her thumb against the blade. It didn't do more than scrape her. Good. If she had a sharp one she might do a lot more damage than she meant to.

Then again, that might not be such a bad thing.

Standing opposite Malfoy she moved to fighting stance.

They crossed swords and bowed, careful not to take their eyes of each other.

Malfoy moved a step back and feinted.

She blocked with ease.

Again and again, Malfoy feinted, trying to draw her into an attack.

Victoria chose to wait, blocking his feints and trying to limber up her feet. When using swords you needed to be able to move aside quickly and she always had trouble with quick movement.

Malfoy, finally fed up with waiting, leapt forward with a downward swing.

Victoria swung up and knocked it aside and swung at his chest.

He stepped back to avoid the swing and she thrust forward aiming further down.

Malfoy hurriedly blocked and pushed her back.

It went on like this for a while.

After about 15 minutes he stopped her with a butterfly sweep and began showing her the things she had done wrong.

As smug and annoying as he was, Malfoy knew more about fencing than anyone she knew, so she allowed him to show her how to fix her mistakes.

Victoria choked when she thought what people would say if they saw her now.

Malfoy was guiding her through a side swing and physically making sure she didn't unbalance by moving her left arm about by pinning it to her side. She happened to use her left arm for balance so she kept falling over.

It wasn't very dignified but Malfoy had his other arm wrapped around her waist to keep her upright.

A year ago if anyone had told her she would be in that position with Malfoy she would have assumed they'd had too much Butterbeer.

_'Strange how life changes.' _

"Potter, are you concentrating? It looks like you're trying to swat a fly!" Malfoy's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Sorry, but it's distracting having you so close."

"Yeah, well, I'm not particularly thrilled about it either, but the sooner you get this right the sooner we can finish."

Victoria sighed and tried again.

#### ####

It was half an hour later and Victoria was hot, bothered and confused. Harry had finally received a letter from Ron inviting them to stay at the Weasleys. It had said:

_Dear Harry,_

_ We just got back from visiting Charlie in Norway. It was cool, there was this tiny young kit (baby dragon) and it was bright blue with silver edges. It kept whistling whenever we saw it. Charlie said its mother was killed by hunters. That's where I got that Dragon Claw for your birthday. It was from the mother. Fred and George have been really secretive recently, I think they're just sulking 'coz mum caught them trying to smuggle back a dragon egg. You want to stay at my place for the rest of the holidays? Your sister can come too. Mum says it's fine. If you can come, send a reply by Pig._

_Ron_

Harry had written a reply saying that they couldn't because of all the stuff that was happening for the wedding. That, and he wanted to get to know Sirius a bit better first.

When Victoria read that she threw the parchment out, had a forceful chat with Harry, and sent a reply accepting the invitation.

_'Honestly, he'll have plenty of time to get to know Sirius over the next few years.'_ She thought afterwards._ 'I am NOT staying here with Malfoy for any longer than necessary.' _

_'Finally, I can escape!'_


	2. Chapter Two: Broomsticks and Wonky Faint...

Chapter Two: Broomsticks And Wonky Faints…

Victoria lay sprawled on the floor in Ron's room, Harry sat on his bed and Ron was leaning against his tiny window.

"I can't believe the holidays are almost over. I still haven't finished my essay for Professor McGonagall on partial transfiguration!"

Victoria was desperately scribbling in her illegible print all she could think of transfiguration from people to lionesses. She had unintentionally given herself claws and McGonagall had immediately assigned extra homework for it wouldn't happen again.

"Hey, what's a Japanese four letter word for idiot?" Ron asked staring at a muggle magazine Harry had given him.

"Baka." she replied. "And shouldn't you be doing your homework?"

"Nah, I've only got Charms homework left, it'll be a breeze."

Typical Ron. "You're the King of Procrastination, you know that?"

Ron looked up, confused. "Is that anything like constipation?"

Victoria sighed. "No, _baka_, it's means to put off something you're meant to be doing 'till the last minute."

As that last syllable left her mouth an echoing crash issued from outside and the house tipped to one side.

"Oh smeg, what've Fred and George done now?"

Ron lay sprawled on the floor, Harry was dangling halfway off his bed and Victoria was gripping the banister to stop from bouncing down the stairs. Ginny's legs were sticking out of her bedroom doorway and Mrs Weasley could be heard yelling at the top of her voice at the Weasley twins.

With a bone shuddering thud the house leaned back to its original angle and the trio looked out the window.

Fred and George were standing, heads bowed, as Mrs Weasley ran through the lecture she had devised for occasions like this, with a few variations of course.

Apparently the boys had gotten hold of some new explosives made by Filibuster and wanted to see how strong they were. Soot and sparks decorated the wall below and one last firework was still spinning in circles at the base of the house.

As it fizzled out so did Mrs Weasley's lecture. Within the pile of dirt and soot the firework had landed on there was a gold sparkle.

"My necklace!" cried Mrs Weasley, and she delved into the dirt to dig it out. Fred and George were backing away slowly as the dirt flew.

With a triumphant cry Mrs Weasley stood up, holding a golden emerald, sapphire and extremely muddy necklace.

"You clever boys! You found my necklace!" She spun around and threw her arms around Fred and George.

The twins looked stunned, then grinned when they realised this meant the sentence was lifted. "Yeah, well we thought you might have dropped it there and we thought we could dig our way to it with the fireworks…"

Victoria withdrew her head from the window, "I've heard enough. What about you two?"

Harry and Ron pulled their heads back inside and Ron shook his head. "Those guys can talk their way out of anything, I swear. How 'bout some Quidditch?"

"Sounds good." The Potter twins agreed.

#### ####

"Victoria, Ron, Harry dear, hurry up or we will leave without you!" Mrs Weasley yelled up the stairs.

Ron came tumbling down the stairs, tugging on a shoe, and Harry made a more graceful descent, only tripping near the bottom when he checked his pockets for a wand.

Upstairs there could be heard murmurs that sounded all too much like obscenities.

Harry, having located his wand, turned around at the base of the stairs and called, "Tori, if you're looking for your money, I've got it. And your jacket's hanging on the chairs downstairs."

A head popped out the door. "Really?"

The rest of her body followed as she slid down the banister and fell into Harry's arms. Pushing herself back up, she picked up the jacket and tied it round her waist, then looked back and asked cheekily "Are you just gunna stand there? You heard Mrs Weasley, let's go!"

Harry gave her an exasperated look of disapproval and followed her into the living room.

Mrs Weasley beamed at them and held out the flowerpot containing floo powder.

"Take a handful and throw it on the fireplace, like always. Don't forget to tuck your elbows in and keep a sharp eye out for the others. We don't want you getting lost again, now do we?"

Harry shuddered and took a handful.

Tori looked at the powder in disdain.

"Is this really the best way to get to Diagon Alley?" she asked pleadingly.

"Well, it's efficient, painless and cheap. I would have to say yes. Now off you go!" Mrs Weasley gave them a gentle push towards the roaring fireplace.

Taking a deep breath, Harry threw the fistful of powder onto the flames, and watched them turn green.

Victoria looked at him and commented sarcastically, "Oh lovely, it matches your eyes."

Harry gave her a withering look.

Taking a hold of her wrist, he stepped into the hearth, and she was pulled in with him.

With a roar, the world turned into soot, flames and flashing openings.

The air was hardly breathable, and the pair arrived coughing and sooty when they fell through an opening in the Leaky Cauldron.

Standing shakily, Victoria turned to her twin and remarked cheerfully "Well, we're getting better. At least we're somewhere recognisable."

Harry nodded and coughed.

After brushing most of the soot off their bodies, both walked through to Diagon Alley.

Standing in front of Flourish and Blotts, Mr Weasley waved to them.

Once they were all standing outside, he addressed them.

"Now, we'll all meet back here in two hours, alright? Buy all your school stuff, and don't go sneaking into Knockturn Alley, or your mother will have my head. Well, have fun!"

Ron pointed over to the Owlery. "Look, it's Hermione! Let's see if she has the booklist, I've lost mine."

Harry and Ron walked over the cobblestones to meet the bushy haired genius.

Ginny looked at Victoria.

"You're not going to join them?" she asked politely.

Victoria blinked at her, glanced over at the reminiscing trio, and replied, "Why gatecrash their fun? It's not like I need to ruin his by clinging to his friends."

Ginny nodded, understanding what she meant. For years she had clung to her brothers and their friends, trying to be liked. It hadn't worked out well, so she gave up when she went to Hogwarts, and started making friends in her own year level. 'Course, they hadn't taken to well to the whole mind control thing, and it had taken a while for them to trust her again.

"Well, I guess us misfits should stick together. Lets go look at the new dress robes in Madame Malkins!" Ginny said eagerly.

Victoria gave her a look of cool surprise and disgust.

"No thanks."

She swept off down the alley to Quidditch Supplies.

"Fine then, Miss Uppity Slytherin." Ginny spat at her retreating form. She set off the try on dress robes by herself, hoping to run into Lavender and Parvati. Those two were girls you could shop with.

Victoria gazed at the beautiful brooms display on the walls. From classics to newest models, all were shiny, sleek and perfect.

"Beautiful…" a whisper of awe from behind her.

Turning round, she came face to face with the last person she wanted to see.

Draco Malfoy.

He held her gaze steadily, then back at the brooms.

With an irritated sigh, she walked past him and out of the shop.

_'Smeggin' Malfoy,'_ she thought._ 'Can't he disappear off the face of the earth, why did he have to come here today,_ _what are the odds, if I see him one more time before Hogwarts, I think I'll…'_

Storming past shops she stopped in front of a window and blindly looked at it, continuing her rant silently, not sparing a thought to what was actually behind the window.

"Ahem."

Victoria's mind rant cut off and jumped to voice recognition.

"Don't bother acknowledging my presence. If you do, I'm sure I will end up with a bruised ego. Instead, just listen to me."

Her mind wouldn't concentrate properly with the hand resting on her upper arm, and the source of the voice remained a mystery for the moment.

"Put aside differences, and you can achieve great things. Hold a grudge, and a world can remain unexplored."

For some odd reason, she couldn't even place what gender the voice was.

"I may not like you, but I can manage to respect you, if I swallow my pride briefly. Can you do the same?"

It was so familiar, and yet sat just out of her reach. She considered turning around, but couldn't find the energy.

"We may be back-stabbing, conniving, sly people, but we make exceptions with fellow Slytherins. You may be a gryffindor related, highly moral, loyal sort of person, but you're still a Slytherin. Let's forget earlier unpleasantries, put aside differences and try to tolerate each other, OK? For the adults sakes."

_'Us Slytherins?'_

"Malfoy, let go of my arm. Before I even consider such a request, I have to weigh the pros and cons, and that will take time."

The hand pulled away. Turning around, she stared at his face, which for the first time in five years, was sincere and open.

"You, you…"

She wanted to yell at him for touching her, speaking to her so sensibly, to bruise his physical form as well as his ego, but the urge died when he closed his eyes and flinched.

Malfoy never flinched. Even when faced with an angry McGonagall, he just stared, expressionless, cool and unmoved.

Even when she was punching him out cold once, for insulting hers, Harry's and her parents' sexual and mental history, which he accompanied with revolting actions, his face had merely acquired a defensive look of anger, which was about the only emotion he displayed apart from malicious glee.

Malfoy never flinched for such trivial reasons.

"Malfoy… w-what's going on?" She asked awkwardly, fearful of the answer. She was no good at comforting people.

He looked at her directly, surprised by the unusual tone. Stammering gently wasn't how she usually acted when he was within earshot.

But then he'd never allowed his mask to slip in public before.

"It's just, if we're to be…" he coughed to hide his embarrassment, "siblings, then there is no point in acting around you anymore."

Blue eyes widened.

"Acting?!"

It was too much for her mind to process at one time. As a protective measure, her brain went into shutdown, something it had never had to do before.

Eyelids fluttering widely, without any grace or dignity, Victoria Potter fainted.


	3. Chapter Three: Voices Running Through My...

Chapter Three: Voices Running Through My Head…

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah! Just keeled over in Diagon Alley!"

"No, I mean about who caught her."

"I couldn't believe it either. Draco Malfoy! THE Draco Malfoy"

"God, I'd faint anytime if that stud would catch me."

"Yeah, but aren't they meant to be enemies?"

"What were they doing, talking normally in the alley?"

"I reckon they're having an affair."

"Don't be stupid, Lav, she would have to have a boyfriend for it to be an affair!"

"But it would be like she was seeing him behind Harry's back! He hates him more than she does."

"Well, I heard that Draco poisoned her, but she didn't swallow enough to kill her."

"Really? What else, Pansy? Give us all the details!"

"Well…"

The voices converged into one, a hideous, monotone voice, whispering, murmuring all around her, reminding of what had happened, a sample of what was to come.

Head bowed, she avoided all eye contact as her brother dragged her through the crowd and into the train.

Sitting next to the window, she gazed blindly at the glass, seeing in minds eye the replay of her literal downfall.

The collapse, the blonde boy catching her limp figure, the sudden crowd as people rushed to watch the new found entertainment, collecting gossip for later, the humiliating action of being pulled into the cradle position, voices all around trying to gather information, being held gently…

Victoria smacked herself on the forehead, and desperately tried to repress that particular moment.

For it wasn't like other embarrassing moments, where the pain and humiliation caused a detached sense, and no one attempted to help, but simply stared.

It wasn't like the feeling that swamped you, making you wish a hole would appear in the ground and swallow you up.

No, it was far more unusual.

Far more embarrassing.

Far worse.

She had been comforted…by Malfoy.

And when he had pulled her into the cradle position, and just held her, she had the worst reaction possible to the situation.

She didn't resist.

She didn't want him to let go, to leave her unprotected from the world, to be pushed down, mocked and despised.

Smacking herself on the forehead again, she tried to think logically.

_'If you have been neglected all the time, never been held or loved by someone, then of course you feel attachment to the first person who does it. It would have been the same if Harry had done it, or Ron, or even Hermione. _

_Well, maybe not Hermione._

_And maybe not Ron._

_But Harry, yes._

_Maybe…'_

She smacked herself for a third time.

"You keep doing that and you'll have no functioning brain cells left." Someone commented.

Returning to reality with a jolt, she looked up to see Draco Malfoy leaning in the doorway.

Ron got to his feet, ready for action, and spat, "Beat it Malfoy, or I'll…"

"You'll what, Weasley? Go red and splutter obscenities?"

Ron was indeed red.

"Go off and help the mudblood prefect, before some little first years start crying."

Ron gave Malfoy a contemptuous look, before shoving past him to look for Hermione.

Harry looked at the blonde disapprovingly, green eyes magnified by his glasses.

"Look, Potter, I'm not about to start being nice to a Weasley just because you're joining the family. My tolerance can only stretch so far."

Without an invitation, he walked into the compartment and sat down on the seat opposite the twins.

Two sets of blue and green eyes watched him, waiting.

_'Sapphires and Emeralds_…'

"Look, if we're going to live together, then we might as well learn to tolerate each other now, shouldn't we? So I might as well start by sharing the compartment."

He pushed Ron's stuff to the door and stretched his legs across the spare seat.

Harry raised his eyebrows, then picked up his 'Quidditch through the Ages' book and started to re-read it for the hundredth time.

Victoria went back to staring out the window, concentrating on the hillside rolling by, and not the blonde lying in an alarmingly casual and provocative way just metres from her.

Malfoy seized the opportunity to study them at close range.

Harry had grown during the last year, but still remained about the same height as himself. The ridiculous round glasses were the same ones he had worn since he had come to Hogwarts, but his face and grown to accustom the frames, and no longer drew attention away from his bright green eyes. He wore oversized clothing for his lean frame, and the sleeves looked as though they had been rolled up at least three times. His hair was the same as ever, messy and sticking up in places, like he had just come from the quidditch pitch. Girls found it gave him a wild, untamed look.

Malfoy thought he looked like he had just crawled out of a dustbin.

He looked over to the other half of the-boy-who-lived.

Victoria didn't look that much like her brother anymore. Her face held no glasses, but an ever-present frown. It wasn't that she did that on purpose; it was just her natural expression. Her half lidded eyes held all the emotions, and were dark blue with a bright glare, giving away her blunt attitude. Her hair was the same shade of black as her brothers, and fell tamely to just below her shoulders, with a kink from where it had been tied back so many times as its only interest. She wore a loose blue t-shirt and baggy pants that looked like they once belonged to a boy several sizes larger than her.

Not an awe-inspiring appearance, but it had a unique charm.

Not that Malfoy thought about the charm.

Victoria shifted to uncross her legs, and placed a hand across her lap.

The weight from the arm pulled the t-shirt down to outline her torso.

Without any real intention, Malfoy's gaze travelled to her chest, outlined by the stretched cloth.

Despite her frame, her mammary glands were well developed.

Malfoy exercised no self control, and halted his gaze, a small smile playing on his lips.

A unique charm indeed.


	4. Chapter Four: The Truth Is Revealed…

Chapter Four: The Truth Is Revealed…

"Welcome all, to another year at Hogwarts!" Professor Dumbledore announced when everyone had been sorted.

"Welcome, too, first years! May this year be prosperous and swift, like all our others."

He smiled, a twinkle in his eye.

"Before we begin eating our way through this delicious feast, I will make a brief announcement, so we can get to the food quickly."

He looked at the tables, piled with all manner of sustenance.

"And that is, if anyone receives any jewellery or trinkets containing sapphires or emeralds, will they please give it to Professor McGonagall, and she will return it once it has been inspected. Now! Onto the feast!"

He sat down hurriedly and chatter began to fill the Great Hall as everyone tucked in.

Victoria sat for a few moments, as she remembered the sword in Malfoy Manor, then the necklace the Weasley twins uncovered.

Shaking her head, she dismissed it as being unrelated.

Reaching for the Pumpkin Juice jug, she was interrupted by a jeering female voice calling "Careful Potter! If you faint again you might drown yourself!"

Sniggers issued from nearby Slytherins.

"Not that that would be a loss, but we don't want you ruining a perfectly good jug of juice with your Gryffindor tainted body." A boy nearby added.

Victoria pulled her hand back to rest in her lap, clenching it where it couldn't be seen.

"Oh, don't worry Potter, I'm sure the chicken will choke more quickly. After all, it's not like you deserve to live anyway."

_'Just like the Dursley's.' _she thought, pushing back the wave of depression threaten to drown her.

_'"What, you still alive? Jeez, a psycho, a giant snake and a murderer have had a go at you two, and you're still not dead! Go ahead and drop dead already!"'_

"Problem is, no one would bury her. She has no family, do you, orphan?"

"Not any family that wants her anyway! I bet her brother would disown her if he could."

"Yeah, and if she isn't here, then Potty Gryffindor will be killed the next time he meets the Dark Lord."

Parkinson grinned horribly at her from three seats over the table.

"Let's do her a favour, and kill her now, to put her out of her misery."

Victoria's eyes widened. She wouldn't put such a thing past them.

"Why do that," A girl replied with a laugh, "when we can just torment her until she commits suicide?"

"Because," replied a cool voice, so icy that the girl shivered, "then I will be the one to explain it to my mother, and she just happens to be engaged to Potter's guardian. The guardian who killed thirteen people with one curse, might I add."

Pansy Parkinson turned to face Draco Malfoy, but said nothing.

There was a sudden silence at that end of the Slytherin table.

Victoria studied her knees, and wished someone would cough or something.

A Hufflepuff from the next table who had overheard whispered to her neighbour.

The whispers travelled down the tables length, then jumped to the Ravenclaw table.

The whisper turned into an exclamation, and the Gryffindor table suddenly buzzed with the news.

The Slytherin table became completely silent.

People sat, looking at the Potters and the Malfoy, waiting for someone to say it straight.

Malfoy looked at Victoria pointedly.

With a sigh, she raised herself up, and addressed the whole of the Great Hall.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Hogwarts students of all ages. The guardian, Sirius Black, of Harry and Victoria Potter, the-boy-who-lived and myself, is marrying Narcissa Malfoy, the mother of Draco Malfoy, that blonde over there," she pointed to Malfoy, and enjoyed his sudden embarrassed look, "and we will soon be…" she took a deep breath, but the word wouldn't come.

Harry stood up quickly. "Family." he supplied.

Malfoy stood gracefully. "That is correct. We three who cannot stand each other, will soon become…" he paused, breathed and said "siblings."

The entire hall was silent following that single word.

Malfoy took advantage of the moment, and addressed the Slytherins. "So those who created the rumour that Pot--- Vic-tor-i-a," he corrected himself through gritted teeth, "and I were having an, 'affair' as it was so delicately put, can go fuck themselves."

Victoria jerked at the sudden appearance of such violent language.

Malfoy merely sat down and continued eating.

Victoria and Harry sunk back into their seats in unison.

Slowly the chatter began to pick up again, and nothing more was said to either Victoria or Malfoy.

If they thought the hard part was over, they were wrong. It was only just beginning.


	5. Chapter Five: Kids Can Be So Cruel… Or W...

Chapter Five: Kids Can Be So Cruel… Or Was It Teachers?

"Tonight I want you to read the three chapters on these plants, write three essays on all the possible potions they can be used in, and hand it in tomorrow with a diagram of each plant to accompany each essay. I want those labelled clearly, understood? Class dismissed, get out of my sight."

Everyone rushed out of the dungeon to get away from Snape. He was obviously in a foul mood, and when he was, anyone who was last out would be given detention, just for existing.

"Potter girl. Detention."

Then again, sometimes he just picked someone at random.

Victoria groaned and ran to catch up with Harry, hoping Snape would forget to write her name down.

Not that there was much chance of that happening.

Edging around a particularly big and ugly Slytherin she fell into step with the trio.

Harry glanced over at her, smiled sympathetically, then continued his conversation with Ron about who really got the snitch first in the 1982 World Quidditch Cup.

"Harry, if the guy isn't holding the snitch, then he doesn't win!"

"But he did catch the snitch first, it was only after Blatsva smashed into him sideways that he let go and the other seeker grabbed it."

"Well, if he couldn't hold onto it, it was his own fault."

"Bit he got the snitch first! They should have won!"

"But…"

Hermione looked up from her book and interrupted irritably, "Honestly, don't you two ever read? The match was given to Yugoslavia because the referee missed seeing who caught the snitch first, and therefore looked at who still held it. It's standard rules. If the catch is undecided, whoever holds it wins. Now quit bickering!"

Ron mimicked Hermione silently, waggling a finger and giving a look of disapproval to Harry.

"Shut up Ron." Harry said playfully.

Victoria shook her head and muttered, "Boys. Such maturity can only be matched by that of a hamster."

"I heard that."

Harry knocked her gently.

"Like we can really be compared to a hamster." Ron chided.

"I don't know Weasley," Draco gave his input, "they are related to your family after all. Weasels, guinea pigs, hamsters…"

"Ferrets." Hermione added sharply.

Ron grinned.

"Yes, Malfoy, you did make a lovely ferret, so you can be compared to a hamster as well."

"Who knows, you two might even be related." Harry added.

Both Ron and Draco choked.

Victoria grinned.

"We'll all be a happy family. A lion, a serpent, a ferret, a weasel and a bookworm."

"Ah, the ecological balance of the food chain. We shall all dine on each other." Commented Hermione.

"I am not even going to consider such a horrible idea. Eat Draco? He'd be all bones!" Victoria screwed her face up with distaste.

"Draco?" Ron and Harry looked at her in surprise. "Since when did you start calling Malfoy by his first name?"

Victoria blinked. She hadn't even been aware she had made such a switch.

Draco… um, Malfoy, stepped in. "We can't spend all our lives calling each other by our last names. Right… Ha-harry?"

Harry looked at him in bewilderment.

"I, guess so… _Dra-co_."

He said it quickly, as though not wanting it to linger in his mouth or head any longer than necessary.

Ron stared at the three, jaw open slightly, eyes bulging.

"You've all gone stark raving mad! This is MALFOY we're talking about! Evil git extraordinaire? The guy who since the beginning of time has called both of you by your last name, emphasising different syllables in order to distinguish each of you. We call him Malfoy! Not some patsy dragon name!"

The blonde with the patsy dragon name raised an eyebrow elegantly.

"Has Weasley had his afternoon nap for today, or is he just crankier than usual?"

Ron gave up.

Taking Hermione by the arm he dragged her away from the new trio, muttering about disloyalty and Slytherin influence. 

Harry started to go after them, but Draco stopped him.

"Let him go cool off for a bit. He'll most likely get used to it." Draco said wisely.

"But the more pressing question is: will we?" asked Victoria worriedly.

                                                                    __


	6. Chapter Six: Us Slytherins, Plus One

Chapter Six: Us Slytherins, Plus One

Victoria lay in bed that night, contemplating, evaluating and doing lots of other words ending with –ating, all referring to the Potters and Malfoy trio.

Firstly, was such a trio possible? Could the three really put aside their differences?

Secondly, what would it be like?

Thirdly, why was she seeing Draco in a whole new light?

This third question brought up a number of possible reasons to mind, many which disturbed her greatly.

Could it be possible she was beginning to feel affection for the stereotypical Slytherin?

They had insulted each other earlier, which was normal, but it didn't have the same sting or cruel delivery to accompany the words like they usually did.

Turning over, she desperately wished for sleep to sweep her up and take her away from these thoughts.

A few quotes floated into her mind.

'_"Time works in mysterious ways, and change comes when you least suspect it" "Time makes you grow old, as does change transform the youth into the elderly..."_ _or something like that… where did those come from?'_

Sighing, she continued to toss and turn, thinking about what homework was due the next day.

_'History of magic, DADA, Transfiguration and Magic of Music. __Wait, that's last years time table. That means that we have potions tomorrow. Oh joy…' _

With horror, she suddenly realised she hadn't drawn her diagrams for potions.

A bimbo voice intruded to taint her thoughts, _'I am like, so totally screwed.'_

#### ####

"Essays." Snape stated crispy.

"I shall collect them while you complete your potions, which should now be simmering gently."

He directed the two black holes that passed as his eyes towards Neville, who was throwing all manner of plant into his cauldron, which was hissing and steaming fiercely.

Victoria didn't notice, for she was frantically copying Harry's diagram, which required all of her concentration.

She also failed to notice the froth that had began creeping over the lip of her own cauldron.

Only when a cloud of lilac bubbles burst in her face did she look up from her scribbles to see both her potion and professor were livid.

Snape snatched the parchment off her lap and promptly ripped it in two.

"I see you haven't completed the homework set, Miss Potter."

His eyes darted to her frothing cauldron, and he continued coolly, "And here I thought that Longbottom was the most inept student present. It seems I was mistaken."

Drawing his wand, he tapped the cauldron and the bubble bath potion vanished.

"Since you and Longbottom are both incapable of producing a simple Amorese Remedy, I am assigning you both extra work. You are to write out the exact amounts of each ingredient, their properties, and antidotes, on each diagram of the ingredients used in this remedy. I want you both in my office tomorrow morning with the homework completed and in your hands. Understood?"

He glared at Longbottom, who flinched and nodded.

Transferring his glare to the other inept student, he was greeted with an equally fierce gaze, and a scowl.

"Yes, Miss Potter? Do you have a problem with this?" He asked icily, daring her to oppose his law.

She accepted the dare.

"Is it really necessary to draw _individual _diagrams? What's wrong with a short essay explaining what we did wrong? And may I point out, for the record, that I wrote those essays, that you saw fit to destroy, last night! Smeggin' hell, it was just the diagram I hadn't done, you didn't have to rip up everything!"

Snape gazed at her coolly. "You did not complete the homework set, therefore it does not matter that you written half the work, it was not completed, therefore, no marks. It is necessary that the entire potion is understood and memorised, not just the error, so yes, individual diagrams."

Victoria lost the little cool she had.

"Y'know, people say you're a biased professor, handing out points to Slytherin every chance you get. I'm inclined to disagree on this point. I'm a Slytherin, remember?" She tapped the emblem on the front of her robes.

Ignoring Harry's signals for her to shut up, she continued, "Slytherin or not though, I believe that as a professor you are required to mark all work given. And yet, it seems you still find it perfectly acceptable to RIP UP MY ESSAY!" She yelled at the man displaying reverent power.

"I worked really hard on that, but do you care? NO! You would be quite happy to keep me back a year, wouldn't you? Did it ever occur to you it would mean another year of teaching me? Did that ever cross your mind? I don't think it did!" As the rant picked up speed, somewhere along the line it picked up some odd slang also, "So mate, before you go ahead and destroy MY work, remember, you're the one who's gunna pay for it in the end! How d'ya like them apples, huh? Don' think it'd such a bril-smeggin'-illiant idea after all, do youse!?"

Snape merely nodded, and finished the lesson.

As the class ran for lunch, Snapes voice rang out over the noise.

"By the way, Miss Potter…"

Victoria paused and looked back to see him smile maliciously.

"Detention."

She smacked her hand on her head and ran to catch up to the Gryffindor trio, thinking to herself, _'Why is it that it can take one million years to create something, yet only one minute to destroy it? Two seconds with that git, and suddenly I'm spewing out some god-awful cockney/aussie slang! "Excuse me for my language sir, my brain is on hiatus, it'll be back online shortly. Until then, I'll just throw some incoherent language at you for pity's sake." Fan-smeggin'-tastic. WHY did I have to read that book on Aussie Slang?'_

Her mental bashing was cut short when someone shoved her into an armoured statue.

Narrowly missing smashing her head open on the mace it was holding, she spun round to see Blaise and a couple of his friends laughing at her.

_'FAB-ulous, I'm a comedian without even trying.'_ She thought sarcastically, and attempted to walk away with what little grace and dignity she had left.

Unfortunately, her discreet exit was prevented when one of his blonde friends, who moved to block her path.

"So, you think just 'cause your robes have a Slytherin emblem on them, you're entitled to our privileges? Ha!" He let out a bark of laughter, and the group laughed too.

_"Sheep following the herd. Baaaaaaa."_ She fought to keep a smirk off her face as she imagined them all following each other off a cliff.

"You think my little joke is funny too? That's pitiful, since the joke is you. You could never be a true Slytherin, with that goodie goodie Gryffindor brother of yours."

She felt she should probably stick up for her brother, but it wasn't exactly an insult, to call someone a 'goodie goodie Gryffindor'. 'Kinda pathetic really.'

Blaise took a few steps towards her.

"In fact, you'll never be anything. You couldn't even pass as a Hufflepuff! You're too much of a freak. Your only feature is that you just happen to be related to someone famous."

He leaned forward so their noses were almost touching, and whispered sinisterly, "You'll always just be a shadow, hiding behind the Boy-Who-Lived."

The next moment Blaise was lying against the opposite wall, gasping.

The blond boy looked surprised, then confused as he glanced back and forth between the two, trying to figure out what had just happened.

Victoria was standing upright, eyes glazed, fists clenched.

Blaise giggled nervously, and tried to stand up.

The next moment he was flying through the air and into a statue of armour.

The crash that sounded when he connected with it caught everyone's attention.

Heads all turned, and several Slytherin girls ran to the limp boy, squealing.

Harry pushed past them and strode up to Victoria, who was in the exact same position as before.

Harry lifted a hand experimentally and waved it in front of her face. There was no response.

"Uh, Victoria? You alright?"

Slowly she blinked, and her eyes focused on her brother standing before her, wearing an expression of concern.

Gazing past his left shoulder, she looked at the huddle of girls around Blaise.

Moving her eyes further, she saw most people were staring at her with a mixture of confusion and shock.

Reverting back to Harry, she offered two words.

"Um, whoops?"


	7. Chapter Seven: Strange Things Are Happen...

Chapter Seven: Strange Things Are Happening To Me…

"I flung Blaise across the corridor?!"

Victoria was sitting in Dumbledore's office, listening as Harry retold what had happened.

He nodded.

"I don't know what happened before that, but when he tried to stand up, he just suddenly lifted into the air and flew sideways into a statue."

Dumbledore frowned slightly.

"We may need some more information before we can declare what took place this morning. Perhaps another witness."

He clapped his hands and a shrunken wizard in green robes appeared in the portrait two frames to the right of where Harry was sitting.

"Alabastor, go fetch the Slytherin boy with blond hair that follows the young redhead Blaise Zabini around."

The portrait nodded, and disappeared, leaving only a rich purple curtain with golden tassels in the frame.

Dumbledore smiled kindly at Victoria, and offered her a lemon drop. She shook her head as her stomach was all knotted up, for she knew she was just waiting to be expelled. _'Anyone who gives a fellow student a concussion can't be trusted to continue study in the school, in case they beat someone else up.'_

She was startled to feel a hand on hers, and looked up to see Harry smiling encouragingly.

_'Well, at least it isn't Harry being expelled.'_

Blinking away the hot itchy feeling of building tears, she stared at the floor, trying not to think of all the magic he would enjoy while she was trapped in the Dursleys house, doomed to scrub floors and prune the rosebushes until she was dragged off to Malfoy Manor, where she'd probably wander the cold corridors for eternity, cut off from all warmth and happiness.

A rogue tear broke free of her eyelids and ran down her cheek.

Hurriedly she wiped it off before her brother could see, in case he did something sickly sentimental, like hug her.

A flashback of Draco holding her kicked its way to the front of her mind, but she crushed it instantly.

_'I don't want ANYBODY with their arms around me, least of all Draco Mal-fait."_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the office door opening. Looking up, she saw the blond Slytherin who had blocked her that morning walk in.

Dumbledore looked up and smiled.

"Ah, Thomas, come in, have a seat. Now, you were present when Mr Zabini was injured, were you not?"

Thomas looked uncomfortable, but he nodded.

"Good!" Dumblodore beamed. "Please, have a seat, and be so kind as to tell us your side of the story."

Thomas quickly sat down on a chair furthest from Victoria, who was staring steadily at him.

He looked at everything but her while he told his side of the story, which held little insight, and was exceptionally biased. Obviously he held Blaise in the highest respects, which really didn't help Victoria at all.

"…Blaise didn't have a chance, Prof., she must have used the Dark Arts on him, he's never been beaten by anything else! Blaise is lying in hospital while she sits here, not a scratch on her, but you're gunna accuse him of something anyway, I bet! He never touched her, it was all her fault, he didn't deserve to be hit like that–"

"Did you actually see her hit him?" Dumbledore interrupted the ranting boy gently.

Thomas looked confused for a moment, before replying, "No, but that must have been it, right, I mean, she didn't draw her wand, so she musta whacked him. Strewth, she's a quick mover though, I'll give her that! Knocked him halfway across the corridor! "

Dumbledore took off his half-moon glasses, inspecting them, "But you didn't actually see her hit him, did you?"

Thomas looked crestfallen. "Well, no, but-"

"Thank-you Thomas, you have been most helpful."

Harry gave him a look of disbelief.

Dumbledore ignored it, and continued, "It would be best if you kept your opinions to yourself, though, and didn't tell anyone else about this… incident."

He replaced the spectacles in the bridge of his wonky nose, and smiled at the boy.

"You may return to class now."

Thomas nodded and made to rise from his chair, only to have it swing up and back, dumping him on his head.

He sat up, rubbing head, to see Victoria still staring intently at him.

Eyes wide, he stumbled over the chair and out the door, slamming it behind him.

Dumbledore fiddled with the bridge of his nose, gazing into the distance, as if nothing had happened.

"Well, you two had better be off to class as well. You won't learn much watching me think." He smiled at the twins, but his eyes were missing their usual twinkle.

Glancing at one another, the pair rose and left the office.

As Victoria was about to close the door, Dumbledore called out to her, "Please try to keep a rein on that temper of yours, Miss Potter."

In reply, she slammed the door.

As the instruments around him rattled, he placed his hands on his temples, and said to himself, "I was afraid of that. Oh dear, why did it have to happen to such a hot-tempered child?" He sighed. "Hogwarts lessons are going to be disrupted more than usual this year."

#### ####

Harry and Victoria parted at the Great Hall, and she walked along the staircases to Divination.

She took special care to miss the staircase that swung routinely towards the tower, providing the most direct route to the class.

Sitting herself on the ledge that occasionally connected to that staircase, she opened her Divination book "Unfogging the Future" and began to read and memorise the chapter on lesser-known psychics.

_'"Wilhelmina Groogensnorf was adept at foreseeing the future, but unfortunately could never predict when the vision would arrive." Wil couldn't predict predictions time._

_"Dora Desperado fell asleep in a carriage… only to see her own gruesome death, which involved a carriage going off a cliff and into a river below. Horrified, she awoke and cried out for the driver to stop just as it was going around an unstable corner, and the carriage skidded over the cliff and into the river below." D.D caused her own car accident._

_"Millicent Calasta received visions at 1:00pm every day, on the hour, but they consisted of images of pasta boiling, a beetle falling off a leaf, and other insignificant moments." Punctual Milly saw silly… things.'_

Sighing, she shut the book and stood up, watching the staircase swing back to her. _'How is memorising other peoples failures going to help me foresee/diven/predict? Like I'm going to walk into the exam and stare at the ball, and declare, "I don't see at this time, but these sort of things can't be forced, right? I mean, look at Wil." She'd just nod her head and "Quite right dear! We can't force these things! I'll just fail you." Absolutely pointless...'_

Absently she walked up the stairs into the tower, snapping out of her daydream when the crazed knight Sir Caddogan yelled at her to "Beware the dragon at the top of the tower, m'lady, lest she take you prisoner!".

Victoria smiled sweetly and replied, "Oh, but I have you to rescue me, brave sir knight!" and left him stroking his mustache proudly.

Shaking her head at the obvious size of his ego, not to mention his extensive imagination, she rounded the last bend and climbed the stepladder that led to the cramped classroom that was filled with suffocating mystic smoke.

Professor Trelawny looked up briefly when she entered, nodded her head and said in her clichéd mystical voice, "I knew you would be joining us later than usual…" before returning to lecture a brunette Slytherin on how the Inner Eye could not be bought.

Victoria took a seat near the back, and tried not to cough too loudly. She had forgotten how thick the smoke could get, and the lack of air was already making her dizzy.

Looking at the girl a seat away, she opened her book to the same page as her, and stared at the page. The words jumped in and out of focus, and the letters began to dance on the page.

Moving her face closer to the book, she tried to make the letters run back to their original position, but they escaped her mental discipline and played like carefree children.

Eyes half-lidded, she gazed at the page, wishing she knew how to deal with children, when the ink letters moved to form a circle, outlining the page.

Two capital letters danced into the centre, an M and a D, and as they entwined, they began to spin, until they were a single black hole, growing larger and larger, stretching out until it met with the letter frame.

In the black hole, figures moved, shifting and changing, slowly defining, until they were the picture of a happy family. Two large figures for the parents, and a smaller one for the child. The child was laughing as it sat on the mothers lap, the father tickling it.

The image morphed and changed, to one of a banquet. The child was bigger, and standing still in a corner while the parents laughed and moved about with guests.

The image changed again, the child taller, and sitting at the far end of a long table, the parents at the other, laughing with each other.

The image pulsed to switch to a platform, the child by itself. The parents weren't anywhere to be seen.

The black hole convulsed, and the face of the child slowly emerged. Light dropped onto it, giving it colours, and dimensions.

Victoria jerked back and fell off her chair, landing with a thump on her back.

"Are you alright, child?" Professor Trelawny's whisper brought her back to reality.

Sitting up, she blinked a couple of times, and nodded her head. Trelawny gave her an appraising look, and returned to the front of the class.

Trembling slightly, Victoria sat back on her chair, and examined the page. All that was there were perfectly normal letters, words and paragraphs. The M and the D stood out slightly darker than rest though.

_'M and D…_

_M-any D-ays…_

_M-anificent D-ancers_

_M-alicious D-iners_

_M-alfoy, D-raco…'_

The face, the _life_ she had seen… was his!

Burying her head in her arms, Victoria tried to stop herself from screaming out the question which burned in her mind with such ferocity it physically hurt.

_'WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME????????'_


	8. Chapter Eight: Well, I’ll Be Blowed!

Chapter Eight: Well, I'll Be Blowed!

Victoria stared at her untouched breakfast.

_'There was nothing wrong with it. It was perfectly good toast with great strawberry jam._

_What was wrong was the girl that was supposed to be eating it._

_She just looked at it, instead of shoving it into her mouth and enjoying the flavour._

_It wasn't normal._

_"Was it the house-elves fault? Did they burn the toast?" No._

_"Was it the jam? Maybe she was allergic?" No._

_"Was she on another planet? Was that more interesting than breakfast?" No. Close though.'_

Victoria sighed and pushed the plate away, before she went mental.

Having a conversation with your breakfast and thinking from the toasts point of view wasn't exactly what you'd call sane thinking to begin with, though.

But then, anything was better than remembering what had happened yesterday. Better than reflecting on how quickly things changed. Better than yelling out to the rest of Hogwarts what questions were burning within.

_'Don't think about it! Think happy thoughts, like candy, kitties, fluffy chicks, sunshine and rainbows, then a chainsaw cutting them into thousands of pieces, petrol being poured over the pieces and a lit match thrown onto them, the flames eating up the damned cheerful objects, eradicating them, burning them from existence… Ok, those, are NOT healthy thoughts.'_

Victoria whacked her head on the table, the pain giving her something to concentrate on.

"Hey Potter, instead of sitting there bashing your head in, why don't you come and join us for Quidditch practice and let the bludgers do it for you?" Draco provided another distraction, albeit an unwelcome one.

Resting her head on the table, Victoria groaned, "Are you serious? Quidditch practice on the third day back? Who came up with that stupid schedule?"

"I did, actually." Draco replied with such bite that Victoria felt the need to instantly apologise.

Then the truth behind the words hit her. "You're the _Slytherin Quidditch Captain_?"

She raised her head to stare at him.

He was wearing a deep green sweater and grey pants that fitted him perfectly, _'Probably custom made.'_ underneath Slytherin Quidditch robes. The lighter green contrasted nicely with the sweater and the pants matched the silver lining. It was amazing the way he could take the most unflattering uniform and with a few touches and his own unique charm make it presentable.

Victoria felt her gaze was probably lingering too long, but she actually didn't care.

She was fascinated by the sliver badge over his heart with the black inscription 'Quidditch House Captain - Slytherin.'

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." He drawled. "Come on Tori-ble, we've started practice already! Move it! Unless you haven't quite finished staring at your toast?"

Hardly aware of this jibe, she obeyed the new authoritarian and ran to get her Quidditch gear.

#### ####

It was blowing quite strongly when Victoria stepped out onto the pitch. Looking up she could make out six other figures flying haphazardly through the air, being buffeted about by the wind.

_'Madness. It's blowing a gale, how does he expect us to fly straight?'_

Nonetheless, she mounted her broom and kicked off.

Almost immediately a gust of wind caught her and dragged her sideways.

Struggling to regain control, she pointed her broom in the vague direction where what looked like Draco was drifting.

However, before she could get much further another player threw her the Quaffle.

Fumbling with it, she almost had it when another playful gust of wind snatched it out of her arms.

Irritated she whipped around and tilted into a dive, grabbing it before it dropped too far.

More wind snuck up behind and pushed the tail of her broom up and over, and she slid forward and onto open air, clutching the front of her broom with one hand.

Gasping, she struggled to keep her grip, the wind having a great time pushing it about, but never enough for her to swing back up again.

After several minutes of this, she took another look at the ground, and deciding it wouldn't hurt as much to hit it from this height as it would to allow her arm to be wrenched from its socket, she screwed her eyes shut and released her grip.

Two seconds into the fall, she landed on something soft with several angles.

Opening her eyes, she found herself gazing into Draco's light grey ones.

Snapping her head back, she saw there was a small smile playing on his lips.

"You're an idiot, you know that, Victoria?" The smile turned into a grin.

He was laughing at her. The bastard was laughing at her.

This realisation pissed her off greatly.

"Oh, like you've never done anything stupid! I'm supposed to catch the quaffle, aren't I? I did everything in my power to do so, and if in the moment I made a slight mistake, so sue me! That doesn't mean you can laugh at me!"

Draco's eyes darkened to steel grey.

It was then Victoria noticed that she was sitting on his broomstick (that wasn't intended to be a joke! I'm talking to you, the reader with the dirty mind) several metres above the pitch, and the only thing stopping her from falling was the arm wrapped around her waist.

Looking back at Draco, she gasped in horror as she realised what was going through his mind.

"Draco Malfoy, don't you _dare_!"

An evil grin lit up his features.

"And what will you do if I don't?"

Victoria couldn't believe this.

_'He's back-mailing me! How DARE he! First he laughs at me, then he threatens me, and now he's blackmailing me! This is just so… SO…'_

Without warning the entire broom flipped up and over, and Draco and Victoria were sent hurtling to the ground.

Draco let out a yell as hit the ground flat on his back, which was cut short when Victoria landed on top of him, lengthways.

Winded, the two lay there.

Victoria didn't even flinch when the broom landed on her back.

Her mind was too busy doing strange things again.

'He's warm…' was the most comprehensive thought she picked out in-between the complaints about the pain swamping her body and the reports on how wrong this situation was.

Eventually she felt him breathing again, and realised her own ability had returned as well.

She couldn't find the strength to move though, and they continued to lie there, each thinking their own thoughts.

Eventually, Draco was the one to break the silence.

"…Victoria?"

"Yeah?"

"Get off me."

"'K."

Sighing, she pulled herself up.

Sitting on her heels, she watched him sit up slowly, air hissing through his teeth every time a new bruise or ache was discovered.

He was about halfway to the sitting position when he let out a sharp gasp that was accompanied by a grating sound and collapsed back onto the ground, twitching with pain.

Victoria was taken aback by this sudden display of helplessness.

Looking around for help, she saw the other players had already given up and gone to class.

The pitch was empty except for the two lone figures.

_'Why me? What do I know about helping people? It had to a be a Malfoy, of all people!'_

Grimacing, Draco made another attempt to sit up, only to wince and lie back down almost immediately.

_'Well, I could go get a teacher, but I can't just leave him lying here. What do I do? What the smeg do I do?'_

Victoria felt like punching the ground in.

Here they were just metres from help, but just far enough away for a shout or waving to go unnoticed.

Looking at Draco wincing on the ground, she decided to do the one thing she had learnt from reading so many fantasy novels and watching her brother.

Play the hero.

Mentally she prepared herself. _'Alanna the Lioness is at the scene of the battlefield. The battle is over, there are corpses everywhere. The aftermath is shocking to look at, but she steels herself, and walks through the mass of rotting bodies. There, a few feet in front of her, is her goal. Her friend, Roal, is lying amongst the bodies, wounded, but alive. She stands beside him, and he opens his eyes briefly, smiling weakly at her, before the pain takes over again. Kneeling down beside him, she slides her arms underneath his near-limp frame and lifts. She staggers under his weight, but determined, regains her balance, before making her way back through the death, to home.'_

Keeping the image of Alanna in her mind, Victoria knelt down beside Draco, slid her arms under his shoulders and his thighs, and lifted.

He was surprisingly light, and she hardly staggered at all.

However, he did let out a yell that nearly made her drop him.

Opening his eyes he glared at her, and in a strained voice asked, "What the hell do you think you're doing!? I am capable of looking after myself! Put me back down now!"

_'Wonder if Roal was as grateful to Alanna?'_ Victoria thought wryly, and ignoring Draco's protests, walked back to the Entrance Hall.

#### ####

"Don't worry Miss Potter, he'll be fine, you'll see! He just had a bit of a nasty fall, that's all! He'll be right as rain given a few days. Ribs don't break that easily!"

Madame Pomfrey was cheerfully chatting away to Victoria as she poured out some anaesthetic potion for Draco.

When she gave him the cup, he gave her such a withering look that she immediately hurried off to wash some goblets.

Glaring at the slop in the cup, he downed it in one go.

The look of disgust that crossed his features was just so funny Victoria couldn't help but laugh.

She failed to see the small smile that followed her little outburst.

"You should laugh more often." He stated abruptly.

_'Where'd that come from? Maybe that potion went to his head.'_ she thought as she watched him close his eyes, and lie back.

"I've never heard you laugh at innocent things." Victoria answered a few minutes later.

Draco's features seemed to stiffen.

"I don't have a lot to lauuuugh ab-ooout." He was starting to slur.

_'The drink must have had a dash of sleeping potion in it.'_

Victoria walked to the side of his bed and watched as sleep took him into its soft grasp.

His face seemed to soften, and his breathing slowed.

"Or… aanyyy-oooone…tooo… lauuuuuugh…. wiiiiiiiiith…."

_'The anaesthetic must be working, it sounds like his facial muscles have decided to take a holiday."_

She watched as the breathing became steady, and his eyelids began to flicker randomly.

With every breath out, a single strand of his blonde hair wriggled across his forehead.

Reaching out, she brushed it off to the side.

"You have me…" she answered softly.


	9. Chapter Nine: Magic, Detentions and Loos...

Chapter Nine: Magic, Detentions, and Loose Talk

_"Miss Potter, due to unfinished homework, displays of violence against a fellow student, and skipping classes, you have been given three detentions. These detentions will be served with Professor Snape in the dungeons at 5:00 o'clock the next three afternoons._

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster_

_P.S. Please try to control you temper"_

Victoria screwed up the parchment into a tiny ball and threw it at a snooty female Ravenclaw passing by.

It missed by a mile.

Turning back to the table, she stroked Hedwigs back before letting her fly back to Harry.

_'Detention with Snape. Man, can life get any worse?'_

She looked up to see Blaise sit down beside her.

_'Apparently yes…'_

Keeping her eyes averted, she returned to poking at her cereal.

"So you're not a shadow… you're a freak." He hissed at her.

Victoria raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, now that's a creative insult. Did you get help with that one?" she asked sarcastically, mentally slapping herself for answering. _'So much for ignoring him.'_

"You think you're so good, don't you. You just caught me off guard, that's all. I can beat you anytime, Slythendor."

Victoria placed her spoon to balance against the bowls edge, and turned to face him. "Is that a challenge?" She asked threateningly.

Blaise lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh, did you pick that out yourself?" he replied in a mocking tone, similar to her sarcastic one.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, you know…" she commented breezily.

Blaise twitched and glared at her.

"Don't flatter yourself. I would never lower myself to YOUR level." He paused, as if searching for insults he could throw at the girl who acted as if she met each insult with the swing of a bat, sending it right back at him.

Lucky for him, Harry interrupted at that moment, calling to Victoria from where he was standing by the Gryffindor table.

"Tori! We've got Care of Magical Creatures now! Meet you outside!"

Victoria waved and nodded at him, thankful for a valid excuse to leave this pathetic conversation.

As she moved away from the table her ankles connected with something solid and she collapsed onto a first year Huffelpuff who has been trying to edge by unnoticed.

Horrified, Victoria leapt to her feet and extended her hand in order to help the younger girl up, apologizing profusely as she did so.

The Huffelpuff fiddled with her robes, claiming it was her fault, before she looked up to see who had landed on her. Eyes widening, she squeaked and scurried off without a glance back.

_'That was weird… what is she, cross-bred with a mouse?'_

She was aware that Blaise was snickering at her. "Bravo, Vicky. Very graceful departure, apart from crushing that girl."

She couldn't help but notice his leg was lying across her previous path.

Deepening her current frown, she walked away without a word.

######

"Hey, took your time, class has started already. Here, hold this for a sec." Harry pushed a slimy black thing into her arms and went to talk to Hagrid.

Looking at the creepy blob pulsating centimetres from her chin, Victoria immediately thrust it as far from her body as possible while still maintaining a grip on it.

_'And this is supposed to be… what exactly? A leech overfed with dog food?'_

The creature was accompanied by an unpleasant smell, much like Dudley's socks.

As she watched, it quivered, an opening forming in one end.

It wriggled in her grasp and managed to point the open end towards her wrist.

Before she could fling it away, the open end clamped down on her flesh.

Letting out a yell, she jerked about, shaking her arm furiously, but the creature had a strong hold and wasn't about to let go.

To her horror, it then proceeded to suck on her wrist.

_'Smeggin' hell! It IS a leech!'_

Thoroughly freaked out now, Victoria did a very strange thing.

Closing her eyes, she wished that the creature release her arm.

She didn't really expect it to do anything, but she couldn't stand looking at the disgusting thing devour her right limb, so she took refuge within her mind.

She was dragged back to reality when she realised her brother was talking to her.

"…Wake up, earth to Tori, come in dark one, hello, anyone in there? Tori, if you'd like to join us here at Hogwarts, it would be nice, no pressure though, we were just wondering: WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE SYKERSQUALSH?!"

Victoria opened her eyes to be met with his emerald green ones. She could see the whites around them and he was so close his glasses were almost brushing her nose.

"Harry, how 'bout some personal space here? If you don't mind, I'd prefer to breathe in my own air as opposed to your recycled breath."

Harry took a step back, but he gripped her left arm and turned her towards the direction of Hagrids hut. "What did you do to the Sykersqualsh?" he asked quietly.

It took her a moment to realise why she could hear him so audibly.

No one else was making a sound.

Looking at the wall of Hagrids hut, she was deeply disgusted with what she saw.

Painting the wall was the entrails of the black thing, glued there by a thick coating of blood, which was dribbling sluggishly down to meet the dew-soaked grass.

Disturbed, she dropped her gaze to her arm, which was covered in slime and something like saliva from the creature's mouth. Below the joint, jagged gashes bled to taint the fluid.

Pushing back a wave of nausea, she glanced around her.

The class was either staring at the mess on the wall or the mess on her arm.

"How did you do that, Potter?" someone, probably a Slytherin, called out in awe.

Looking back at the deceased creature decorating Hagrids hut, she could only reply, "I… don't know..."

######

"Detention for something I can't even remember doing! This is so stupid!" Victoria complained as she scrubbed the floor of Snapes office.

It had taken an hour before anyone would believe her when she said she didn't know what she did. "God, all those ridiculous questions to answer, and then that lecture! 'Killing living creatures is wrong. To kill a creature is to be in the wrong. Creatures don't deserve to be killed. Sykersqualsh are protected creatures. Creatures deserve respect. Blah blah blah… '"

Furious, she attacked a potion stain with such ferocity that she broke off some of the stone used to pave the dungeon floor.

Ignoring it, she continued scrubbing and seething for the next few hours.

Eventually though, her anger ebbed away, leaving her with boredom and sore hands.

Sitting back, she stretched her neck and listened to the cracks it made with each movement.

After a few moments of this, she felt the stone vibrate beneath her.

Pausing in mid-crack, she listened for footsteps.

In the distance she could hear the unmistakable clicking of shoes on stone.

Tilting forward, she grabbed her rag and resumed rubbing it against the stones in the pretence of cleaning.

The door opened, and Snape swished in amidst his trenchcoat-like robes.

With barely a glance in her direction, he acknowledged her presence and set her free from the demeaning chore.

Dropping her cloth, Victoria sprinted out the door and into the dark corridor awaiting her.

Halfway along it she ran into someone else.

Crashing into them while running at full speed she had little choice but to continue moving forward, her momentum carrying them both down a small flight of stairs at the side of the corridor.

Reaching the foot of the stairs, the pair rolled to a stop, and attempted to sort out their tangle of limbs.

Twisting her elbow at an odd angle Victoria hit something soft and was rewarded with a small yelp from the other person.

"Sorry…" she replied.

"Victoria?" the person requested identification.

"Uh, yeah. Who're you?" she replied awkwardly.

"I'm Draco, you dumbass." He replied with a disgruntled air.

"'Scuse me for not having night vision. What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" she replied with more attitude, now that she knew who she was dealing with.

Draco shifted his leg so the two were once again separate beings. "I could ask the same of you."

Irritated, Victoria jolted her knee, which she was pretty sure was near his stomach. "Detention. You?"

Something like laughter drifted from his area. "How many do you have so far? Fifteen?"

"Just answer the question, Draco." She demanded.

"Fine. I was returning from hospital, if you must know." He sounded miffed.

"At this time of night?" she asked sceptically.

"Actually, it's morning now." He answered matter-of-factly.

"Draco…" she warned.

"Well, she said I was allowed to go in the morning. I just… decided to take her literally." He sounded a bit sheepish, for some reason.

"You snuck out." She had to voice the obvious, just in case it was unclear to either of them.

"Malfoys don't sneak. We depart without leave." He claimed haughtily.

"So, why'd you do it? Don't tell me you were eager to get back to class now, were you?" she grinned into the darkness at this prospect.

Silence greeted her question.

"Draco?" she could feel his presence close by, but in this pitch-black corner of the dungeons sight was impossible, so she couldn't tell what he was doing.

He seemed to be shifting a lot though.

"Draco, why'd you leave the hospital early?" she asked again, becoming tired of having to repeat herself. "I promise I won't tell anyone if you're worried about that sort of thing. C'mon, spill." She attempted to coax it out of him, but patience was a demanding mistress.

She could feel the warmth from his body now. He had shifted considerably closer to her.

Experimentally, she moved her head to where she believed his face to be, stopping when she felt his breath on her cheek.

"Any particular reason for this invasion of personal space?" She asked lightly, her voice masking the uneasiness she felt rising within her.

She didn't like having people in her space, especially uninvited.

He finally replied, each word a warm brush of air on her face. "Yes… you're the reason."

Completely nonplussed by this cryptic answer, she asked, "Is that your answer for the first or second question?"

He was uncomfortably close now, the material from his robes resting lightly on her right arm and leg.

"Draco, I should really get to bed, so if you don't mind answering the quest-"

Victoria was cut short as soft lips covered her mouth, making it impossible to speak.

Not that she really wanted to anymore.

Sitting in the dark, deep in the dungeons, within Hogwarts castle, under the night sky, Victoria and Draco breached the gap between Potter and Malfoy with a single kiss.

Then several more, for good measure.


	10. Chapter Ten: I can see Clearly Now

Chapter Ten: I can see clearly now…

Victoria lay in bed during the early hours of the morning, tossing and turning while her mind went on a rampage.

_'What the hell was I thinking, kissing Draco like that? He's my BROTHER, for gods sake! Ok, so maybe he isn't yet, but he soon will be! I can't just go snogging him because he's decided to have a personality change, or whatever the hell's gotten into him. It's like, incest! God, what the hell is wrong with me? How could I let him do that? I should have guessed something was up when I could feel his breath… his sweet cinnamon breath… not good, not good, not right, very wrong, WARNING Incest Alert! God, this is such a screwed up situation…'_

She continued along this train of thought for a long time until she realised she wasn't going to get anymore sleep with her mind going a million miles per hour.

Sighing quietly, she sat up, pulled out her wand, "Lumos." and looked for her Divination book.

After about an hour of reading about witches who exploited their power, Victoria was well and truly bored.

Closing the book and placing it on her bedside table, she lay back down and attempted to sleep for the few hours before breakfast, her mind empty of Draco Malfoy for the time being.

#####

Bleary-eyed and yawning, Victoria plodded over to Gryffindor table and sat next to her brother, who was absently mashing up his bacon and eggs with a fork.

He looked over at her and smiled at her condition; "You never were a morning person."

Attempting to glare at him through her sleepy haze, she replied in a drugged voice, "Shut up. I only got three hours sleep last night, thanks to detention and… other things."

She paused for a moment, wondering whether she should tell him about her encounter with Draco, and if so, how.

He pushed his plate of bacon and egg mush towards her in an offering.

Obligingly, she took his fork and began the task of finishing his breakfast for him.

"So, any particular reason you joined our table?" He asked as he watched her shovel food into her mouth, "Other than to act as a human rubbish bin, that is."

"Oi'm hnngry, an' thish ish more pleshan' than Schlythrin 'able." She swallowed her mouthful. "And also, I wanted to, uh, talk to you about… something."

Harry nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"Well, uh, last night after detention I ran into… someone, and I sorta knocked them down some stairs and into this really dark corner of the dungeons. We, kinda got talking, and we… uh, we… we-"

Suddenly Harry let out a painful yell and fell back, hands pressed to his forehead.

"AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH! GODDAM-ARRRRRGH!"

Shocked by this abrupt onslaught, she scooted back, shrinking away from the horrifically loud fit her brother was having.

"ARRRRRRRGH! Gah-Vol-ARRGH-Voldemort! He's really- ARRGH GODAMMIT- really mad about some-gah-something! He's-he-ARRRRRRRRRRGGH!"

Squeals and shrieks filled the Great Hall at the mention of the Dark Lord and several girls began claiming that the Boy-Who-Lived had gone nutters and was possessed.

Victoria could make out Luna declaring that if he was indeed possessed, she had a great remedy that could help him. Something about a Bezoar, several turnips and some rooster excrement…

Ignoring the increased noise level as best she could, Victoria pushed past Ron, who had jumped out of his seat to come to his friend's aid, and bent over Harry. Leaning in as far as she dared, for his arms were flailing wildly with his convulsions, she spoke to him in a calm voice. "Attention Harry James Potter. We request that your mind return to Hogwarts in order to prove you haven't developed paranoid schizophrenia. If you fail to return by the time I count to three, you will be subjected to infinite poking."

She paused, hoping he would be shaken out of his fit by this threat, but he continued to yell and thrash so she began counting.

"One… two… two and a half… two and three quarters… two and a bit… two and what ever… and three!"

Harry became deathly still, his face contorted into a mask of pain and fear.

Victoria watched him, unsure of what to do, vaguely aware of a ditty ran through her mind.

_'Watching, waiting, commiserating… say it ain't so, I will not go…'_

Experimentally, she reached out and poked him in his side.

With speed that she would have admired in any other situation, his torso snapped upright and he grabbed her hand.

As it was, she let out a startled yelp and fell back to whack her head against a chair. "What the hell was that? Why did you do that?! That wasn't funny Harry!"

He gave her a hurt look and rubbed his side. "You should know better than to poke me."

Victoria rubbed her head and stood back up, watching as both Hermione and Ron helped Harry to his feet, fussing over him.

"Are you alright? Oh, you should tell Dumbledore Harry! That attack was severe…"

"Oh man that was freaky! You looked like you were having a fit or something when you started jerking about…"

"… and if You-Know-Who is angry, he has a right to know. Headmaster or not…"

"…at first I thought you were choking or something, but then you fell to the floor…"

"…he's the best wizard we have. Oh, be quiet Ron!"

"…yelling at the top of your voice, I swear, you were worse than a Howler-"

"Ron, shut up!" Hermione cut him off mid-sentence, before turning back to Harry, who was looking quite bemused.

"Harry, we should go see Dumbledore right away. Come on." She strode across the Hall, which was now pretty much empty aside from a few of the really dedicated gourmets who were guzzling what was left on their plate as well as everyone else's.

Victoria turned to her brother. "What was that about Voldemort being angry?"

He glanced at Hermione, who continued her mission, oblivious to her lack of followers.

"He… he was really mad… I could feel it… not just in my scar, but my mind. He wants something- somethings- that are really important. Something that'll help him… help him grow stronger…" he looked at her, his green eyes dark and devoid of light.

That scared her.

_'Some people say that once the light goes out in your eyes, there no hope for you…'_

Masking her fear, she looked away. "We should probably do what Hermione said. About telling Dumbledore, I mean. She's always right anyway."

Nodding, his face still blank, Harry followed her up the staircase to Dumbledores office.

#####

"Cockroach cluster." Victoria told the gargoyle statue. The two waited for the entrance to appear.

Nothing happened.

"He must have changed the password." Harry supplied.

"Great, so now what do we do? Sit and wait for the password fairy to pay us a visit?" lack of sleep prevented her from accessing the part of her mind that stored witty remarks for these situations.

Harry gently pushed her aside, faced the gargoyle and started throwing random sweet names at it.

"Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, Bloodsucker, Fizzing Whizzbees, Droobles BubbleGum, Ice Mice, Sherbert Lemon, Acid drops, Toffee Apple, Animal crackers, Nerds, Mars Bar, Ginger Snap, Humbug, Sugar Quill, Cinnamon Cig-"

The gargoyle leapt aside to reveal the winding stone staircase.

The twins let out a cheer and Victoria ran up the stairs, calling back to her brother, "Finally! So which one was it? Don't tell me it was Cinnamon Cigarette!"

Harry just laughed in reply.

#####

Professor Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and sighed when they finished telling him about Harry's fit.

It had taken a while to sort out the facts before they could get the story straight. Harry was stubbornly opposed to accepting he had yelled and wriggled like a madman, claiming he had suffered silently and only let slip a few quiet words about how he was feeling, and Victoria refused to admit she had poked him out of his daze, claiming she had constructed an elaborate chant which had broken the link between the two minds.

Eventually though, both managed to inform the professor on the near-truth, and were waiting for a verdict.

He sat there for several minutes, gazing into space and tapping his two index fingers together.

Harry and Victoria exchanged glances, silently asking each other whether they should still be here.

After another five minutes, Victoria had to break the silence.

"So… now what? Professor?"

Dumbledore clasped his hands together and leant forward to engage the two in conversation.

"Now? Now I shall tell you a story. Please listen with an open-mind, and once I have finished, we shall discuss its relevance to our situation."

He paused to look the twins in the eye, making sure that their attention was focused.

_'Now we shall have story-time. Gather round children, let me tell you a tale…'_

"Miss Potter, please pay attention."

Victoria twitched, embarrassed to be told off by the Head of School.

Dumbledore smiled gently, and began his story.

"A long time ago when days were dark, nights were tense and you wouldn't trust your neighbour to give you the correct time of day, there was a promising young blacksmith. He was exceptionally skilled and was one of the few people trusted to create goods that were worth their price.

He made everything he could conceive, from candelabras and pots to swords and jewellery. His metalwork was divine and everything he created would be decorated with a single jewel.

Precious rocks were rare, but he was able to always include one by charging the wealthy customers in jewels instead of coins.

He became well renowned in his little village and was visited by more and more wealthy people, but he only ever used one jewel per creation.

That is, until one day, when a King arrived at his humble forge.

The King ordered for four objects to be created, each bedecked with two kinds of jewels.

The blacksmith was unsettled by the idea of using his own stash of precious jewels to ornate the four objects, so he requested that the jewels be provided for his work.

The King was aggravated by this display of miserly behaviour from one so young, but saw this as an opportunity to collect some incredibly rare jewels for his creations.

So the King sent a team of his best men to find the rarest jewels they could and bring them back.

The teams returned a year later with a sackfull of exquisite jewels and various shiny rocks.

The sack was given to the blacksmith with the previous demand for the four objects bedecked with two kinds of jewels.

The blacksmith spend several days sorting through the jewels, until he had enough of the same colours to ornate the objects.

The first part was run of the mill. He heated and beat the metal to form the objects the King desired.

But then it came to decorating the objects with the jewels.

He placed them in intricate patterns beside each object, and reheated the metal.

He carefully placed each jewel into its selected position on each object.

Then it came time to cool the metal so that the jewels would hold their position.

He had four buckets of water ready to drop the objects in.

He placed the objects in the water and stood back to admire his work.

As he stepped back, there was a brilliant flash of light from the four buckets holding the objects.

Startled and blinded, he stumbled back into the open kiln.

He never got his money for his beautiful craftsmanship.

He never even saw the finished result.

The King returned to find his objects in four buckets and a large pile of ashes spilling out of the kiln onto the floor."

"Did the blacksmith die?" Harry asked, mouth open slightly.

Dumbledore looked at him sadly and nodded. "But that's not the end of it."

"Oh, sorry." He replied sheepishly.

"Gone on please, Professor." Victoria prompted.

"Very well then." Dumbledore nodded approvingly at her attentiveness.

"The King kept his gold and took his four objects back to his castle. He was delighted with how they had turned out and spent a good deal of time admiring them.

He declared they were too good for use, and had them placed in glass cases for display.

A few years later, he was robbed.

The thief made off with the four objects as well as a good deal of china and a tapestry or two.

Once he was safe, he examined everything he had stolen and attempted to value them.

He was interrupted by a fellow bandit who had had too much beer and upon breaking into the house, proceeded to smash what few possessions the thief had.

The thief had a little magic that he could have used, but he required a wooden stick to do anything.

Enraged, the he picked up one of the four objects, a sword, and slew the intruder.

In an attempt to ignore the now desperate situation he was in, he then examined the swords jewels.

There was a bright flash of light and the thief dropped the sword and stumbled back to land in a chair.

After a while, he reached out a hand to pick up the sword lying another foot away.

He was startled when it leapt into his hands.

He had developed a power he never knew he had."

"But how did it happen?" Victoria asked abruptly.

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "I was waiting for you to ask that, Miss Potter."

"You see, the jewels the King had ordered to be collected for the four objects weren't just rare jewels because of their appearance. These jewels held powers stored within them from eons ago. These powers could be transferred to a being that was gifted with magic, if the being kept eye contact with the jewels for long enough. Tell me Miss Potter, what happened when you admired that sword in Malfoy manor for a while?"

Victoria stiffened.

A flood of memories bore down on her as the link was revealed.

_'"Crystal gazing Potter?"_

_"You'll always be a shadow, hiding behind the boy who lived"_

_"I flung Blaise across the corridor?"_

_"He's back-mailing me! How DARE he! First he laughs at me, then he threatens me, and now he's blackmailing me! This is just so… SO…"_

_"Smeggin' hell! It IS a leech!"_

_"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE SYKERSQUALSH?!"_

_"How did you do that Potter?" "I… don't know…"_

_But I do now. I do know. It was that bloody sword. That bloody King. That bloody blacksmith._

_ "So you're not a shadow. You're a freak."_

_Oh god, Blaise was right. I am a freak…'_

"Victoria?" Harry asked tentatively.

She answered without looking at him, her voice melancholy. "I'm a freak… that sword made me a freak…"

Dumbledore shook his head sternly. "Miss Potter, you are viewing this in a negative light. Telekinesis is a rare power only a select few are been granted. You should see it as a gift, not some sort of curse."

Harry looked completely lost. "What's telekinesis?"

"Telekinesis: The ability to move objects purely by the power of the mind." Victoria answered without thinking. Then it hit her. "I have telekinesis? You mean I'm not cursed with an attraction for danger or something? Why didn't you tell me before? This is so cool!"

Dumbledore gave her a look of surprise. "Of course you're not a trouble magnet. What on earth gave you that idea?"

"What else could I have thought? First I smashed Blaise into a wall, then I caused Draco's broom to tip both of us off at twenty feet and only yesterday I annihilated a Sykersquash! And now you're telling me this was all due to me having telekinesis?! " Victoria gushed.

Dumbledore nodded. "Well, Miss Potter, it seems that your emotions trigger this magic into action. I assume that Mr Zabini aggravated you to such a point that your telekinesis found an outlet. It is no secret that Mr Malfoy takes delight in infuriating you, which he must have done to allow another outlet. And I am sure that having a Sykersquash attach itself to your arm was enough to set it off again."

Victoria nodded automatically, not quite accepting this reason as of yet.

Harry looked as though he was desperately trying to process all this information in order to run off and tell his two lackeys–uh, friends.

Another memory popped into her head.

"Professor? You know how the sword was covered in emeralds and sapphires?"

He nodded. "Yes, those were the two jewels the blacksmith chose."

Victoria ignored this. "During the holidays, Fred and George blew up a corner of the Burrow and underneath there was something that belonged to Mrs Weasley. It was a necklace with emeralds and sapphires. Do you think it might be one of the four objects?"

Harry still looked bewildered. "That's unusually observant of you."

Victoria shook her head. "I was thinking of how you'd probably go and tell Ron and Hermione about this afterwards and thinking of two people led to the Fred and George, and then I remembered about the fireworks and how they'd weaseled out of it because they'd found a necklace." As an afterthought, she added, "Weasley, weasel, weasled. I'm witty even when I'm half asleep."

"That was pathetic, Tori." Harry scorned.

She shrugged her shoulders in a non-committal way.

"Returning to the necklace," Dumbledore continued, "I believe there may be a connection. I am glad you mentioned that. I believe it will need to be retrieved as soon as possible from Molly."

Victoria opened her mouth to ask why but Harry beat her with another question.

"Professor, what does this have to do with my scar hurting and Voldemort being angry?"

Dumbledore leant back and looked intently at them for a few minutes, as though he were judging whether they could be told anything really important.

Leaning forward again, he replied, "There is a legend about the four objects. It is said that each holds an individual power, and that when all four are combined, the being in their possession will be unstoppable."

He paused, unsure whether to continue.

"Voldemort knows of this legend. I believe that he is plotting to retrieve all four items. If he is successful, then… well, 'the being in possession will be unstoppable.'"

Victoria went ice cold as the truth hit her.

_'If Voldemort gets all four items, he'll be all powerful.'_

She stared at Dumbledore, horrified.

_'SHIT.'_


	11. Chapter Eleven: In the Dead of the Night...

Chapter Eleven: In the Dead of the Night, Evil Will Find You….

Victoria sat and gazed at the flames dancing in the fireplace. Across from her lay Draco, draped over a green leather couch and daintily holding a book.

Victoria lifted her gaze from the fireplace to scan the commonroom, which was thankfully empty.

She glanced at her watch. 12:30am. She should really go to bed.

But she didn't dare, in case the story from that afternoon should return to be analysed by her now paranoid mind.

Instead she turned her thoughts to Draco's strange actions from the previous night, and in turn, his change in personality. No matter how she looked at it, it didn't make sense.

'_How does someone go from hating a person to lo-liking them? I mean, I know opposites attract, but since when does it take five years for it to kick in? Maybe this is like Mum and Dad… If Harry was telling the truth about what he saw in Snape's memory, then that would shed some light on this situation. Dad was an absolute prat to begin with, a bully even, and Lily was a strong girl who despised that, yet they ended up marrying each other… god, I'm theorising about how my parents got together. I am definitely staying up too late.'_

Movement caught her eye as Draco sat up and put his book to the side. He sat for a while, gazing at the flames in the fireplace, seemingly unaware that Victoria was watching him.

Just as she was about to stand up and go to her dormitory, he spoke.

"Do you ever think about the future?"

Victoria stared at him, completely thrown by this random question.

"What do you mean by 'the future'?" she asked.

He turned to face her, his eyes cold and pale in comparison to the firelight they reflected.

"I mean in a few years time. Where we'll be, what we'll be doing, how we'll think, who we'll know. Do you ever think about it?"

Wondering where he was going with this, she replied cautiously, "Sometimes. Not very thoroughly though. Mostly they're just idle fantasies that I know will never actually happen. And when they're not…" she paused, remembering the story and what had gone through her mind after she had heard the truth behind it.

Draco looked as though he had something to say, but was politely waiting for her to finish.

_'Politely waiting… what do you know, I guess he does have manners and just doesn't use them.'_

She decided to hear what eh had to say, and acted dismissively.

"Sorry, I thought of something, but it was irrelevant. So, do you ever think about the future?"

He bowed his head, and began twining his fingers in an absent minded way.

"Yes. I've been thinking about it a lot recently, and… I don't like where I'm heading. Son of a jailed Deatheater, in the middle of a sour divorce, soon to be one of three children and despised by most of Hogwarts. My status has gone way down in Slytherin since the end of last year, and it's made me realise how much I depend on power to get me anywhere. If I lose that, then what will I be? I…"

He lifted his head and looked at Victoria, his pupils dilated despite the amount of light from the fire.

"I… I've always relied on power and status to get me everywhere. I've never had a real friend who didn't care about those two things. I never cared about that either… until now.

You two, you and Harry… people like you for who you are. Harry has a high status, yet people stay with him because they like him, not because he's famous. Look at Granger and Weasley, they follow him like a couple of sheep, but they've never tried to leech fame from him, because they like him for who he is.

But Crabbe and Goyle just follow me because then they have power, and are respected, despite their awesome stupidity. People even like you, a Gryffindor-related Slytherin with no status whatsoever, better than me.

It's just… I don't get it, how do you survive without status or power? Why do people like you and Harry against all odds? What have you got that I haven't? I'm handsome, charming, witty, rich, everything! Yet people would rather talk to a mudblood like Granger than me. Why?"

He looked so desperately forlorn as he repeated that word over and over again that Victoria momentarily forgot about the past, and was simply in the moment.

Here was a boy who despite a cool appearance was being torn up inside just like her. It was a startling revelation that didn't really hit her until later. For now he needed her.

Standing up, she moved over to his couch and sat down beside him. Unconsciously she placed a hand over his clasped ones and replied in a soft, reassuring voice.

"People like others because they share similar interests, are intrigued by the other person, or simply enjoy being in their presence. It's not your fault you're surrounded by people who don't that. There are people out there that I'm sure would like you for your sharp wit and sense of style. You just haven't allowed yourself to meet them. You're too busy putting up barriers because so many people are different from you, that no one has had a chance to like you."

_'For the first time in five years, his face was sincere and open…'_

"And then there are some people who put up the barriers first."

He looked up at her, confused by that last sentence.

Sighing, she apologised, "Draco, I haven't been that fair to you. This year you've been trying to be a better person, and I've been suspicious and wary of your change in personality. I put up barriers so that you wouldn't have anymore chances to hurt me like in first year, and refused to take them down even after you did. I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance. Can we start over?"

Draco was now looking at her with disbelief as well as confusion.

"What are you talking about? What the hell are these 'barriers'? What do you mean 'change in personality'? What the hell are you talking about?"

_'Oh for gods sakes. I give him pearls of wisdom and he wants the oysters.'_

"Look, basically we've been ignoring each other except to fight, and then you stopped ignoring me, but I continued to ignore you, until just before when I decided to stop ignoring you, and we were both listening to each other. I was apologising for ignoring you in the first place, which was the barrier, and your change in personality is how you act when we're not fighting. Got it now? God, talk about killing the moment! Now I'm irritated. Thanks a lot, Malfoy." She removed her hand from his and glared at him.

He smirked back at her. "Now you sound like Tori again. What happened to the soft voice and extended vocabulary you had a few moments ago?"

"It died, along with my sense of humour." She growled.

He lifted his hands in a gesture of submission. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry I ruined the moment with my inability to decipher symbolism. No need to go all PMS on me."

"That is an inappropriate and chauvinistic phrase that's going to cost you." Victoria poked him in the side while his hands where still up in the air.

He twisted away and she jabbed his other side, causing him to move his other hand to there.

Before he could shield anything else she poked him several more times, and he jerked over the edge of the couch to land on the freezing-cold stone floor.

The yelp that resulted was music to her ears.

She laughed as he gasped and sat up, arms wrapped around his waist and shivering.

Glaring at her, his mouth twisted into a horizontal S shape, he rose to tower over her.

Upon looking at his rumpled clothes and his blonde hair hanging over the right side of his face, she burst into more peals of laughter.

The S twisted to form a smile.

He dropped gracefully back down onto the couch and waited for her laughter to subside.

When she had once again attained her usual frown, he asked, "What happened this morning after Harry had his fit? You were missing for two lessons, so nothing interesting happened for over two hours. Where were you?"

Any trace of remaining happiness left her. "We were in Dumbledore's office, listening to a faerie tale with a blood-chilling ending."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "A fairytale with a blood-chilling ending? I didn't know Dumbledore wrote horror stories."

Victoria shook her head. "It wasn't an imaginary story. It was a slice from history that could have an impact on our future as we know it."

Draco leant back against the pillows, looking utterly relaxed, and prompted., "This sounds interesting. Tell me everything."

For lack of a better audience, she did. Everything except the password problem and the Weasley pun, which she deemed as irrelevant and embarrassing.

"…If Voldemort gets all four items, it will be the end of our future. To put it simply."

Draco was now leaning forward and wearing an expression of awe and shock.

"There's an item in Malfoy Manor? How could I not know this? This is my house we're talking about! How could- wait, you have telekinesis, and you didn't know? How could you not know? This is-"

Victoria was taken aback by this attitude. "Draco, we're talking about the possible end of the world, and all you care about is how I am incredibly unobservant and incapable of putting two and two together!?"

"Do you mind? I wasn't finished! This is- wait, you can't put two and two together?"

"It's a figure of speech, _dumbass_. And I don't care about you finishing your little rant, what I want to know is: Will you help me?"

"What do you mean 'will I help you'? What with?"

"Draco, at this very moment Voldemort could be hunting down those items. If we get to them first, then he will never get them. Everyone knows Voldemort is most afraid of Albus Dumbledore, and Hogwarts is the safest place for anything valuable. Why do you think they kept the Philosophers Stone he-"

"Oh yeah, that worked like a charm didn't it? Beside our DADA teacher being possessed and almost taking it!"

"Don't interrupt, I'm answering your question! What I'm asking is, will you help me retrieve the item from Malfoy Manor? I don't know my way round there, and god knows what kind of security system you have. I need your help to get that sword! Please?"

Draco looked dumbstruck, but only for a moment.

"Alright, I'll help you, since I am the most qualified for the job. When do we leave?"

"How about in…" Victoria looked at her watch. "Twenty minutes?"

"Twen-twenty minutes? You mean… tonight? Have you even thought this through?"

"Yes. All I need is warm clothes, my wand and a broom. It should only take one night, right? We'll fly out there, grab the item, and be back before first lesson."

Draco sat and stared at her for several minutes.

"…Well, I can't actually see anything wrong with this. Alright, I'll get some stuff and meet you outside in twenty minutes."

Victoria smiled. "Excellent."

#####

Victoria slinked along the dark corridor, keeping an ear out for teachers and ghosts. The last thing she needed was for Peeves to catch her walking around the castle at 2 in the morning.

Keeping to the wall, she glanced around every corner before continuing forward. Ducking under a suit of armour, she stopped. Listening intently, she heard nothing except her own loud breathing.

She moved forward again, only to be yanked back. Stifling a gasp, she tried to run, but something held onto her bag. She turned to face her foe, only to see the edge of her bag caught on the suit of armours gauntlet.

Ignoring the armours creaky giggles, she snatched the bag from its grasp and backed away, glaring at it.

Her right leg caught on some material, and she fell back, landing on something soft and bulky.

Hoping it was just badly placed curtains, she rolled over to see… nothing.

Blinking, she looked at her hand. Moonlight presented pale skin and worn stones, but nothing else.

Yet she could feel some sort of material under her hand, she was sure.

Grasping a bunch of it in her fist, she pulled.

Off came the invisibility cloak to reveal her brother crouched on the floor.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" she whispered.

He looked up, and upon recognising her, he took back the invisibility cloak and tossed it over the both of them.

"Forget me, what are you doing here without a cloak or anything? You could get caught so easily." He whispered disapprovingly.

Sighing, she revealed her plan to sneak out of Hogwarts and meet Draco so they could retrieve the item.

"Are you insane? Leaving Hogwarts, illegal magic, teaming up with Malfoy? Do you realise how much trouble you could get in for this? How could you even consider doing such a thing without asking me to come with you first?"

Surprised, she replied, "Well, now that you're here, will you come with us?"

"Yes. But let me get Hermione and Ron first, and we'll all go."

Victoria shook her head. "Harry, this is a stealth mission. We can't bring five people! It's ridiculous! And Draco will never agree to let Ron come! You know that!"

"Either they come or I go." He threatened.

Victoria was sorely tempted to leave him right then.

"Fine, go fetch your lackey's, I'll be outside by the broomshed with Draco. Hurry Harry!" (Authors note: 'Hurry Harry' is said every two minutes in the HP2 game)

Harry disappeared, taking the cloak with him and leaving her visible to the whole world.

In the distance, she heard him whisper "They are not lackey's!"

Ignoring him, she slinked along the corridors, ran up the stairs and streaked through the Great Hall and out the doors.

Running through the snow as quietly as she could, she headed towards the Quidditch Field and the broomshed.

When she reached it, she discovered it was locked.

_'Oh, this is just bloody perfect. I'm cold, wet and tired, waiting for the Boy-Who-Lived and the Slytherin-Who-Smirked so we can go save the world. What a night!'_

Shivering, she crouched beside the shed, cringing every time she heard the snow crunch beneath her frozen feet.

Finally, in the distance she could make out three pairs of feet walking through the freshly laden snow.

When they were right in front of her, she pointed at the shoes and commented "Invisibility cloaks only work if they cover all of your body."

The cloak fell off to reveal the trio, all three pink-cheeked from the cold wind that blew from behind her.

"It's not our fault, Ron's still growing." Harry replied.

Victoria glanced at the redhead disapprovingly. "Another reason to cancel this party and return to the stealth mission."

"What are we all standing out her in the cold for?" Hermione asked abruptly.

Victoria pointed to the lock.

"Oh really, this requires a Year One spell, surely you could have done this yourself?" she tutted.

Waving her wand, with a swish and a flick, she muttered, "Alohomora" and pulled off the lock.

Victoria pushed open the doors and hobbled inside, "I couldn't remember the wand movement."

Harry put a hand on her shoulder and reminded her, "You have telekinesis, Tori."

Ron pushed the doors shut and asked, "What's telekinesis?"

Victoria was about to answer when she realised both Harry and Ron were looking at Hermione expectantly.

Sighing, but wearing an expression of smugness, she informed them, "Telekinesis is a magic that doesn't require a wand. It harnesses the power of the mind, and transforms it into energy that can move objects."

Harry nodded, but Ron looked blank.

Victoria added, "Put simply, it's the ability to move objects purely by the power of the mind. It's like 'Wingardium Leviosa' without a wand."

Ron nodded.

"But there are four objects, so what other powers are there?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked ruffled. "Honestly, didn't you even bother to research it?"

Both Harry and Victoria shook their heads.

"Fine. The three items hold four different powers: Telekinesis, Telepathy, Teleportation and…"

"Telephone!" supplied Ron.

Harry stifled a chuckle.

Hermione gave them a patronising look. "Actually, it's Transmogrification."

Both boys looked puzzled.

"But that doesn't start with tele! Maybe it should be 'television'…"

"Or 'telemarket'…"

"Or 'telem to go away'!"

Both boys cracked up.

Hermione and Victoria exchanged glances of disapproval.

"Boys." They muttered in unison.

The laughter was cut short as the doors blew open to reveal a large silhouette.

Three of the four gasped and backed away.

Victoria rolled her eyes and enlightened them, "Hey Draco, it's been forty minutes. Are you always this punctual?"

Draco stepped inside, bringing flakes of snow with him, and shut the doors with a flick of his hands.

He glared at the three uninvited tag-alongs.

"What are they doing here?" He asked viciously.

"Harry wanted to come, and insisted on bringing his lack-friends." Victoria answered matter-of-factly.

Draco pointed at Ron. "He is not coming with us. No way am I doing anything with a Weasley. Get him out of here, now."

Harry stepped forward. "He's my friend, and I want him to come. Don't think you can boss my friends around, _Draco_, just because Tori has decided you're not 100% pure evil."

Ron backed his friend up with words of great wisdom and meaning; "Yeah, _Draco_."

Draco raised an eyebrow at such a witty retort. "Yes, Weasley, I can see why you are such a valuable asset to this quest. And although I am sure you'll be missed greatly, you're not coming with us." He replied sarcastically.

Victoria turned towards Ron and negotiated. "Look, I know it seems harsh, but you wouldn't want to be putting Harry in anymore danger than necessary, would you? And in order to prevent that, it would be best if you stayed here and covered for us. If we're not back by tomorrow morning, tell everyone we've gone to the hospital wing because we got into a fight early that morning. Ok?"

Ron looked unsure.

"Please Ron, you know I hate to side with Malfoy, but we really do need you here to cover for us. It's an important job. Please?" Harry pleaded.

Realising he was outnumbered, Ron shuffled out the doors and back towards the castle.

"And try to stay out of sight!" Hermione called after him.

Victoria felt unpleasantly guilty at what they had just done, but it was necessary.

"Could someone please tell me why Granger is still here?" Draco asked.

She looked back at the blond and answered, "I happen to be one of the top students at Hogwarts, that's why."

Draco shrugged gracefully. "Fine, the four of us will go."

The quartet grabbed their brooms and walked out, shutting the broomshed doors one last time and placing the lock back on.

Mounting their brooms, they kicked off, Draco and Harry in the lead, Victoria and Hermione behind them.

The wind whipped them about and froze their hands to the brooms, but they flew forward, over Hagrid's hut, the forest, the lake and past Hogsmeade.

After ten minutes of flying in silence, Victoria couldn't take it anymore.

"Are we there yet?"

"No." Harry replied.

After a few more minutes she asked again, "Are we there yet?"

"Not yet." Hermione replied, her voice as frosty as the wind the pushed them back.

She waited a whole five minutes more.

"Are we there yet?"

"Tori, shut up or I'll come back there and garrotte you." Draco replied.

Victoria shut up.

They flew over beautiful landscapes coated in ice, muggle towns frosted with snow, and past trees adorned with crystal flakes.

She stayed quiet all the way, but when she saw the silver gates with MM mounted on top, she couldn't help herself.

"Are we there yet?"

Draco came to a halt, turned around and looked her straight in the eye.

She gulped, but asked anyway, "Well, are we?"

He turned back and gazed at the silver gates.

"Yes Tori, we're there."

Then he dropped into a dive, landing just on the other side of them.

The trio left in the sky followed this suit.

Victoria didn't pull up soon enough and smashed into the ground, bounced, and rolled under a bush.

Dazed and embarrassed, she sat up and found herself looking at a set of extremely large and pointy teeth.

She tried to scream, but a hand clamped over her mouth and a pair of arms dragged her back out.

Abruptly lifted to her feet, she overbalanced and fell back into Draco's arms.

He looked down at her, an eyebrow raised. "Do you think, for once, that you could stay out of trouble for five minutes?"

Victoria stood upright and shook her head. "What was that thing?"

"Venomous Tentacular." She turned to see Hermione crouching beside the bush and peering through the leaves at the vines that were wriggling behind them.

"What is it doing hiding under that bush?" Harry asked, brushing leaves off his sleeves.

Hermione stood up and turned to address them. "Venomous Tentacular enjoy dark areas. This one must have crawled under this bush to avoid the moonlight."

Victoria nodded and pulled a few leaves out of her hair. "So we've got plant monsters roaming the grounds, huh? My, this sounds like a fun little night excursion." She commented sarcastically.

Looking up, she scanned the ground, and in turn the Manor, which stood dark and foreboding against the nightsky.

Draco pushed past her. "Let's start walking. The entrance is over there." He pointed down the gravel road that stretched for kilometres to the front of the building.

The four battled through the growth to the path and plodded up the hill towards the huge front door that looked miniscule from their distance.

They walked in silence.

It was a strangely dangerous path, for every few metres a strange plant would reach out and try to grab anything but Draco. One succeeded in capturing Victoria's bag.

Still they walked on.

Flames crossed their path as they encountered a Fire Crab that was going for a stroll.

Still they walked on.

The door hardly grew, although they had been moving for half an hour.

Still they walked on.

In the darkness, four students walked the path to Malfoy Manor, in the dead of the night, encountering the most annoying creatures you could imagine.

The most annoying of all decided to break the silence.

"Are we there yet?"

* * *

Authors Note: I am notorious for the "Are we there yet?" scene

The "Are we there yet? Yes … we're there." scene is from the 'Tetly Tea' advertisement. Or something like that. The original was: "Yes Gavin, we're there".

The title of the chapter "In the Dead of the Night, Evil Will Find You" is a lyric from the song 'Anastasia - Creatures of the Night'

And don't worry, the next chapter will have detailed action. I was just trying to finish this one so I speeded it up a bit.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Madness After Midnight

Chapter Twelve: Madness After Midnight...

Victoria Potter yanked her jersey out of the grasp of a spiky bush that growled menacingly as she ran to catch up with the three waiting for her.

Draco looked immaculate as usual, but Harry, Hermione and Victoria all sported cuts, burns and ripped clothes from the fierce garden that guarded the entrance to Malfoy Manor.

"Why are the plants only attacking us?" Harry asked, his voice coloured with suspicion and irritation.

Draco looked coolly at him. "They're instructed to attack all intruders but members of the Malfoy family, for obvious reasons. However, they seem to be a bit listless tonight. Normally they'd have ripped you to shreds. Mother must have fed the carnivorous vegetation within the last three days... lucky for you." He added as an afterthought.

Harry gulped and Hermione gave a nervous glance at the few vines that wrapped themselves around the archway they stood under.

Draco smirked at their discomfort and pushed open the entrance doors, holding them open in a courteous manner.

Hermione and Victoria nipped in and Draco released his hold as Harry entered, slipping inside as the wooden structures closed.

It was dark inside, but the few streaks of moonlight that entered through the small archers windows high above provided enough illumination to avoid walking into any objects.

Moving quickly and as quietly as possible, the four crossed the entrance hall, ascended twelve flights of carpeted stairs and padded along the corridor that lead to the fencing room.

Halfway there Draco stopped suddenly, causing the other three to crash into each other.

He pointed to the end of the corridor, where a large shadow grew in the moonlight.

Draco grabbed Victoria by the arm and pulled her over to a large statue where they both crouched.

Harry dashed behind a velvet curtain that framed a large portrait of a Malfoy relative.

Hermione tapped herself on the head with her wand and appeared to melt into the wall.

Footsteps became audible and the shadow joined the darkness as the figure walked around the corner and along the corridor.

Victoria held her breath and tried not to wince as Draco's grip on her arm tightened.

The figure brushed by the curtain that Harry hid behind, and for a brief moment his feet were visible, but the figure didn't seem to notice.

It lumbered past the section of wall where Hermione had melted and stepped into a beam of moonlight.

Victoria choked on her breath as she realised what she was looking at.

The figure yawned and pushed scraggly black hair out of his half-closed eyes before scratching his bare chest and readjusting the red silk boxers that hugged his visible hips.

He moved out of the moonlight and past where Draco and Victoria crouched.

If he had been properly awake he might have noticed their faces staring at him with expressions of disgust and horror.

However, he continued along the corridor and down the flight of steps without the slightest notion that he was being observed.

Once the sound of his footsteps had faded, Harry stepped out from behind the curtain, puzzled by the expressions Victoria and Draco wore.

Hermione reappeared, pulling her bushy hair out of her eyes.

Draco let go of Victoria's arm and stated in disbelief, "To think mother is actually marrying that mongrel of a man."

Victoria wasn't listening. She was too busy processing what had just happened. "I didn't know Sirius wore red boxers..."

Hermione and Harry stared at them as they rose from their hiding place.

"Too much information Tori." Harry confirmed.

Victoria nodded in agreement and the four walked towards the fencing room, their minds now filled with unwanted mental pictures of Sirius and red boxers.

Draco pushed open the door and Victoria ran over to the glass case that held the item.

To her disappointment, she couldn't find a hinge, lock or anything that might allow access to the sword.

"How are we supposed to get it out?" She asked.

Draco pulled out his wand and with a Latin word, tapped the side that faced them.

The glass disappeared.

"Neat trick." Harry commented.

Victoria picked up the sword. It tingled in her hands and she felt a strange urge to go north, back the way they came.

Ignoring it, she grinned.

"This is one item that Voldemort won't get his hands on." She claimed proudly.

Draco clapped a hand over her mouth. "Don't say his name!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What, _Voldemort?_"

Draco glared at him. "Shut up! Stop saying it!"

The twins exchanged glances.

'_Draco Malfoy is afraid of the Dark Lord. Well well well, isn't this an interesting discovery..._'

Without another word from any of them, the four made their way out of the castle, dodged the aggravated plants and mounted their brooms.

Just as they were airborne, Draco answered before the question could be asked.

"No Tori, we're not there yet, and if you ask, I will hand you over to the Venomous Tentacular."

Victoria didn't ask.

#####

Ron was sitting on the steps outside the castle when they returned. As they locked their brooms in the shed, he ran up to them and burst into a full rant.

"What took you so long!? Class is about to start, I thought I'd have to explain to Snape why his best and worst students weren't there, and people have been asking me where Harry was last night, it's been driving me nuts, did you get the sword, how could you leave me behind, c'mon, we're late!!!"

Ron grabbed Harry and Hermione and ran off to class, leaving Victoria and Draco to lock up the shed.

Victoria shook her head in disbelief as she watched them leave.

"He's remarkable unobservant. How many people would fail to notice I have a sword balanced on my shoulder?" she scorned.

"Speaking of observation, how do you plan to get that inside without half the castle noticing?" Draco asked as he pushed the lock back into place.

Victoria turned and pointed to the window that connected to the Slytherin girl's dormitory. "I'll send it through there. I can keep it in my dormitory."

Draco turned and craned his neck upward to pinpoint the window. "So that's the girls dormitory..." he grinned and raised an eyebrow.

Victoria shot him a warning glance. "We don't welcome male drop-ins, Draco."

"Alright, so how are you going to get it up there? You can't just waltz up the stairs with a sword on your shoulder. It's not an acceptable accessory." He questioned.

"Yes, I realise that. But you forget, I have telekinesis." Victoria claimed, a twinkle in her eye.

He raised an eyebrow. "This sounds like a catastrophe in the making. I'm going to attend class now, rather than watch you make a mess of things. Try to keep that sword out of sight." He strolled off in the direction of the castle entrance, blond hair shining in the morning sun.

Victoria gazed after him for several moments, before she realised what she was doing. Slapping herself on the forehead, she returned to the task at hand, forcing the image of the slender blonde out of her mind.

Laying the sword at her feet, she took a step back, fixed a picture of the window in her mind and stared at the sword, concentrating on the idea of it soaring through the window by itself.

Nothing happened.

Sighing, she put her arms out in front of her body and held her hands like they had the sword resting in them. Concentrating on the sword, she raised her hands.

Nothing happened.

Feeling ridiculous, she grabbed the sword and pointed it towards the window and tried mentally pushing it.

Still nothing happened.

Looking at the sword in her hand, she considered throwing it towards the window and praying it would get there.

_'Maybe if I get angry, it'll move. Yeah, It'll be like throwing Blaise around.'_

She sat down and dropped the sword in front of her, trying to think of something that really pissed her off.

_'Draco's smirk... no, that's too common. Ron being stupid... nah, that's just irritating. Harry walking in without knocking... no, that's disturbing. I know, the Dursleys! What have they done recently... Dudley ripped up my book, Petunia made me wear that stupid dress, Vernon went on about how all magical people should be executed at birth... god, he's such a racial bastard.'_

Recounting on Vernon's speech, she stared at the sword intensely.

_'...bloody hoons on their flying motorcycles, teacups turning into frogs, all useless party tricks, yet they dare to think they're better than us, calling us muglets and...'_

Victoria glared at the sword, wanting to pick it up and ram it through her uncle's thick skull for saying that. '_Everyone's entitled to an opinion though, even if you don't happen to like it...'_

Exasperated, she grabbed the sword and hurled it at the Quidditch shed, watching as it buried itself headfirst in a snow mound two feet short of its target.

"Why isn't this working? I'm pissed off, I've got the object, and I have a goal, so why won't it fly up there already!? Oh, such wonderful magical powers, too bad they DON'T WORK! Fly through the window already, I'm skipping class for this! Fly damn you FLY!" she yelled and pointed at the window, unaware that in her rage she had gotten to her feet and was stamping her foot in time to her rant.

A stone fell from the castle wall to land with a soft thud in the snow below.

Victoria jumped and turned to look at where she had pointed. There was a gap in the wall where a stone was missing.

Experimentally, she pointed at the sword and repeated quietly, "Fly damn you FLY! Fly damn you FLY! Fly damn you FLY!"

The sword quivered.

Lifting her finger she moved it slowly over to where the window sat.

The sword shuddered and snow began to shift as it rose.

Eyes widening in disbelief, she repeated faster "Fly damn you FLY! Fly damn you..."

The sword fell over.

Dropping her hand in disappointment, Victoria stood there for a while, staring at the silver blade shining against the bright snow.

_'So it wasn't me... it just overbalanced...'_

Giving in, she pulled out her wand and used a banishing charm to send it away from her and up and through the window.

'_I hope no one saw the sword fly past their window. Hallucinations from boredom aren't that common...' _she thought as she trudged through the snow to attend the last few minutes of Potions class.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Midday Confessions and...

Chapter Thirteen: Midday Confessions and Midnight Lessons...

Victoria ran down the corridor that led to the dungeons, feeling the last few minutes slip away from her. Just as she reached the classroom, a flood of Sixth Years poured out of it.

Slowing to a walk, she infiltrated the crowd and joined Harry and his two sidekicks. He cut off in mid-conversation and gave her a questioning look. She pointed to where the corridor split, leading to the Slytherin dormitories, nodding.

Shaking his head, he asked, "What took you so long? Snape was practically smiling when he saw you were still absent at the end of Potions."

"Detention?" Victoria asked.

"Detention." Harry concluded.

She sighed. "He's being really generous this year with punishments... what have we got now?"

"Care of Magical Creatures." Ron answered dully. "Whaddya reckon Hagrid's got for us today? Thestral babies? The giant squid? Norbert?"

Hermione hushed him as a group of giggling Slytherin girls pushed past them. "Ron, you have to be more careful what you say! What if someone overheard you?" she scolded.

"Oh come on Hermione, as if anyone's gunna ask about Norbert after Potions cla..." Ron retaliated.

Harry and Victoria stepped away from them as another fight started.

"Don't you ever get sick of them quarrelling? Doesn't it concern you that they are constantly at each others throats?" Victoria asked.

Harry shrugged. "I'm used to it. When they stop, we'll know it's time to worry about them."

"Alrighty then." She continued to back away as the gestures got more violent and the volume increased.

Not watching where she was going, she backed into someone.

Spinning round, she began to apologise, but the words died in her throat when she realised who it was.

"Watch where you're going Potter!" Blaise spat at her.

"Yeah!" Thomas coincided from beside him.

"The last thing I wanted was to endure contact with your Gryffindor tainted body! Ugh, now I'm contaminated. Check my arm, is it breaking out in red and gold?"

Blaise held out his arm as if it had just been hugged by a leper, pushing it towards Thomas, who was mocking horror and disgust.

"Don't spread it! I don't wanna become a goodie goodie Gryffindor!"

Blaise whacked him with his arm and Thomas pretended to collapse.

"Oooooh, I'm doomed! 'hack' I can see a white light! 'cough' Please, whatever happens, tell my mother I said... 'hello'."

A crowd of Slytherin that had gathered shrieked with laughter.

Blaise grinned, appreciating the approval. "Someone get me a serpent, quick! Maybe there's still time to save him!"

"What, you want to poison him some more? No, to save him you must kill the evil one!" a Slytherin yelled out.

"Yeah, like with vampires! Vanquish the problem and you'll be saved!" Another called.

"Ok!" Blaise waved. "I shall destroy the evil one!" He pointed at Victoria, grinning insanely.

A cheer filled the corridor following this exclamation.

Blaise pulled out his wand and began waving it extravagantly. "Furnuc-!"

There was a loud bang and Blaise hit the wall.

'_Oh god no, not again! When I want to, I can't do it, so why now?'_ Victoria worried.

Her fears were put to rest almost immediately though. Out of the crowd stepped a boy brandishing a wand. He walked over and glared at Blaise, his wand still raised.

"Malfoy, what the hell are you doing!?" he growled at the blonde standing over him.

Draco glared at him, before allowing his face to break into a smirk. "Destroying the evil one."

Victoria held her breath, desperately trying not to burst out laughing, or worse, crying. Her mind repeated a classic epilogue from a fairytale as she gazed at the scene.

_'The white knight rode up on his trusty steed and drew his sword. He had faced numerous obstacles, but they would not deter him from his love. Dismounting, he stepped into the castle. Awaiting him was the villain and his sidekick. A great battle ensured, but the knight won. Having slain the villain, he turned to the sidekick, who promptly ran away. The princess, now free, ran to her saviour, and they embraced. The castle was restored to it's bright self and the lovers rode away on his white horse. They lived happily ever after.'_

Dudley had watched that movie so many times that she had memorised every single word of the epilogue without even trying.

Returning to reality, Victoria realised the crowd was dispersing and idle chatter once again filled the corridor.

Blaise and Thomas gave Draco a suspicious look before melting into the crowd.

"What was that all about?" Harry's voice sounded behind her.

She turned to look at the-boy-who-hid. "I have no idea, but at least _someone_ decided to interfere."

He blushed and fiddled with his glasses. "Sorry, we were almost at the entrance to the Great Hall when I realised that you weren't still with us. Ron and Hermione started arguing about the Quidditch World Cup, and I kinda got caught up in it."

Victoria waved a hand noncommittally. "That's ok: 'I'm _used_ to it. When _they_ stop, we'll _know_ it's time to _worry_ about them." She mimicked his earlier reaction to the quarrel, overemphasising different words to apply to her situation.

He raised an eyebrow before smiling gently. "C'mon, we'd better get to Magical Creatures. Hagrid needs all the support he can get if the Slytherins feel like mocking people today."

"Ugh, do we have to? Can't I just go back to bed and call in sick?" she pleaded.

"Tori, you've already missed one class, and you really can't afford any more detentions." He answered wisely as he walked down the corridor for a second time.

She knew he was right. With a sigh she followed him, stating, "Fine... but if we're looking after Sykersqualshes again, you're doing all the handling."

Harry shuddered.

#####

Harry crouched beside the black blob and poked it with the tip of his wand.

"Do you think it's still alive?" he asked as he watched it slowly reinflate.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Here's a better question: do we care?"

Harry didn't look at all appeased, so she held out a rotting piece of meat on a skewer in front of the blob. The end opened up and it swallowed the meat whole, almost yanking the skewer from her hand.

"Yeah, I'd say it's still alive, unless dead Sykersqualshes can eat for twenty-four hours after they die." she declared sarcastically, wrestling the skewer from its suction grip.

"So... now what?" Harry asked.

Victoria glanced around at everyone talking while the Sykersqualshes lay there, pulsating in the grass.

"I'd say we conform and have a discussion while this creature works off the meal it just had." She answered eventually.

Harry shrugged and she sat down opposite him, the Sykersqualsh acting as a barrier.

"Why did you skip Potions class this morning?" he asked, sounding concerned.

Glancing around again, she answered in a quiet voice, "I had to hide the sword, and Draco warned me not to just stroll through the dungeons with an item on my shoulder. So I figured I could use telekinesis to send it through my dormitory window."

Harry's eyes sparkled. "Did it work?"

Victoria shook her head. "I don't know what I did wrong, but I just couldn't get it to move. Not even a centimetre. I tried so many times, and nothing. I don't get it. In the end I gave up and banished it through the window."

Harry pulled at some grass. "The levitation spell probably would have worked better, but alright."

He played the blades for a few moments, thinking.

"Hey Tori..."

"Yeah?"

"...maybe you should take some lesson in telekinesis or something..."

That struck her as an intelligent idea.

'_Maybe I could find someone else with telekinesis... or maybe I should do a Hermione and go to the library and look it up... yeah, I could probably find something on it...'_

"That's a good idea." She confirmed.

Harry smiled and dropped some grass on the Sykersqualsh, watching it wriggle it off.

Hagrid thudded over to them.

"'Ello 'arry! Looks like yer 'aving fun with them Sykersqualshes! Yer know, I got them from a marsh witch for free! She seemed right 'appy to give 'em to me, she did. Strange folk, don' seem to know what they 'ave in their own yard 'til I ask 'em."

Harry grinned up at him, and Hagrids beady black eyes shone before diverting to Victoria.

"Ah, Vicky, yer mind no' squishin' anymore for a while, 'til they star' breedin'? Jus' tha' I've only go' enough for one between two."

Victoria nodded and scrunched a handful of grass.

"Brillian'! I better go check on those Slyth'rins... yer know, they tried to feed one the skewer before! Nearly cut open its guts while doin' so! Cor blimey, rotten lo' they are..."

He trundled off to tower over another pair.

Harry shifted uncomfortable while she continued to scrunch up the grass beside her.

"Don't worry Tori, he's not discriminating against you, he's just concerned for his creatures. I told him you hate to be called Vicky, but he keeps forgetting. Don't hold it against him, please?"

She looked up from the grass to be met with the puppy dog look.

Sighing, she agreed grudgingly.

"Thanks." He said uncertainly.

#####

Victoria pulled yet another book from the shelf and balanced it on top of the pile in her arms before carting over to a secluded table. Dumping them in the corner, she sat down, picked up a random title and began flicking through it.

Finding nothing interest, she put it to the side and grabbed the next one, this time searching the index.

There was no mention of telekinesis in that one either.

Sighing, she put it with the other reject and picked up the third, skimming its pages.

'"..._movement spells are common... ...Accio is one of... ...the Banishing spell is... some wizards are born with these powers......like the inner eye... ...stripped of power... ...hidden in special items... ...transmogrification... ...telepathy... ...teleportation... .telekinesis... ...the ability to to move objects purely by the power of the mind... ...throughout history few have posses this gift... few could control it... ...in the end it destroyed them..."'_

Victoria re-read the last line on the page several times, trying to process it.

'"..._in the end it destroyed them..."'_

Slamming the book shut, she shoved it to the side so fiercely it pushed the others off the table and crashed onto the floor.

Loud shushes issued from Madame Pince who was hovering over by the Potions section, glaring at her while rearranging the books.

'"_In the end it destroyed them..."'_

Working on automatic pilot, she bent down to pick up the pile, absorbed in her own disturbed thoughts.

'_How can it have destroyed them? Did they spontaneously self-combust? Did they make a knife fly across the room at them? Did their power overwhelm their mind?'_

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that it took her several moments to realise that someone was holding out a book to her.

Standing up, she reached out to take it and discovered it was attached to Draco Malfoy.

He read the title with a look of consideration before glancing up at her.

"Homework? ...Or is Telekinesis not so simple after all?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

Victoria snatched the book back and glared at the blonde. "I don't suppose you would know anything about it, now would you?" she practically stated.

The eyebrow remained raised, and a smirk decided to accompany it. "Don't assume too much Tori... I've gleaned more from these books than you could if you had a year to look."

"Alright, if you're so well-informed on the subject, then tell me how to move an object." She said, dumping the books back on the table.

The smirk disappeared. "It's not that simple... there's a process involved which you should perform naturally, but since this isn't a gift you were born with... well, let's just say it's going to take some work before you can make things fly at will."

She nodded. "Ok then, teach me."

"Me? Teach you? What do you take me for, a suicidal brat?" he asked rhetorically.

"Yes, you teach me. You seem to know about it, and I don't want to waste time sitting in here pouring over old books while Madame Pince hovers next to me." She answered, ignoring the disdain in his voice.

"But..." he paused, searching for a reason to do otherwise, "I'm not... that is to say... I'm never taught before... and surely...well... damn, you've got a point there. Alright, fine, I'll teach you. But you must listen to me, understood?" he was being rather sharp this afternoon, for some reason.

Victoria nodded. "Understood. I'll see you at nine in Slytherin Common Room, ok?"

"Better make that eleven if you've got detention with Snape today." He reminded her.

"Oh, yeah, detention... fine, eleven it is. Well... I'll see you then..." she dismissed him awkwardly and heaved the pile of book back to the shelf where she found them.

"Goodbye _Potter_." he replied brutally.

#####

Victoria plodded into the Slytherin commonroom and fell onto the nearest couch.

Draco looked up from his book. "Have fun?"

Victoria groaned and closed her eyes. "Some bugger blew up his cauldron, which just happened to be full of newt eyes, belladonna, dragonfly wings and dragon dung. So Snape left it there all afternoon for me. I had to practically pry it off the walls..." she moaned and rubbed her arms.

"Well, if you're expecting sympathy you've come to the wrong place. Sit up Potter, and look at the table." Draco pointed at the table between them, on which lay a feather.

"A feather? I'm not a weakling Draco! And why are you calling me Potter?" she glared at the blonde, who met her with an equal look of contempt.

"Do you have any idea what kind of day I've had? The Slytherins are getting suspicious, and they're all looking at me. The number of conversations I've overheard today filled with accusations, the strange looks people are gave me, it was enough to make me bite the head off the first person who talked back at me, which was, incidentally, you. "

Victoria sat up slowly. "Well, what do you expect if you blatantly take my side in front of half the year? What was up with that anyway?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't really know, it was an uncontrolled reaction. It seemed a decent thing to do... god, I'm starting to sound like the boy-who-lived!" he let out a half-hearted laugh.

Victoria allowed a small smile to creep over her face. "So how do I make this feather move? Aside from blowing or using my wand, I mean."

Draco leaned forward and locked eyes with her. "_Want_ it to."

His stare disturbed her and it took a second for the words to sink in.

"Oh come on! You can't seriously tell me that's all there is to it after your little speech in the library today!" she scoffed, breaking away from his gaze and waving a hand at the feather. It jumped off the table and drifted down to the stone floor.

Draco leaned sideways and picked it up. "Of course not." He twirled the feather in his fingers. "But it's a start." He grinned at her, the feather held delicately in his fingers like a quill. "Do you want it?"

Ignoring the interesting mental image that appeared when he looked at her like that, Victoria shrugged. "Not really, why?"

Draco twirled it around like a baton. "It won't come to you if you don't really want it." He let it sit flat on his palm. "You don't believe me, I can tell."

Victoria had both eyebrows raised and had a look of scorn on her face. "Got that right."

Draco offered his pal to her. "Alright then. Just try and take it."

Staring at the feather, Victoria imagined it flying over to her.

Draco smirked.

"Shuddup, just gimme a second." Victoria glared at the feather for a good two minutes.

"Give up?" Draco asked smugly.

Sighing, she rubbed her temples and looked at the floor. "Yes." She growled.

"Are you ready to listen to me?" he asked, twirling the feather again.

"Yes." She replied through gritted teeth. _'Smarmy bastard.'_

"Good girl." He patronised her as he laid the feather flat in his palm again. "Now, look at the feather, and really _want_ it to move. Nothing else matters but the feather. If this feather doesn't move, then... oh, how about... your brother will be thrown into the dungeons with a few of his most _devoted_ fanatics." Once again there was that infuriating grin.

"Fine, I get it, I have to believe I need it to move." She sighed and resumed staring at the fluffy scrap of bird lying on that smooth white hand.

'_Harry's sanity is at stake here... you gotta move... please...Harry needs you to... please move... I suppose being locked up with a few girls wouldn't hurt him... move already... c'mon, move, you gotta move... move...' _

Realising her eyes were closed, she jerked back, fighting off a wave of fatigue.

"It doesn't work, I mean, what's so horrible about Harry being locked up with some girls?" she asked rhetorically.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "That's a good point, I certainly wouldn't mind. Alright, how about you think of something that would make you really need this feather?"

Victoria dragged her head forward from the comfortable sofa behind her and stared at the feather again, running through a list of reasons.

'_The first years need this feather to learn the levitation spell, my hands are tied, you've gotta move, go to them... Harry's sad, gotta cheer him up, go tickle him... Fred needs to finish the Golden Flight charms, I'm not allowed outside grounds, go to him, now, go now, go... god, I wish Draco would stop grinning at me like that, it's so bloody irritating, I'd like to wipe that smirk right off his face, smarmy bastard, bet if I made the feather hit him in the nose he wouldn't stay smug for long, or if it tickled him until he cried for mercy, no, best of all, if it flew straight into my hand, yeah, that'd replace his smirk with an open jaw, boy that'd be sweet, god I wish that feather would move, move damn you, wipe that smirk off his face, move feather move feather move move move...'_

"Argh!" Draco let out a startled yelp and fell back onto the couch.

Victoria returned from inside her head and watched the feather drift towards her.

Holding out her hand, she caught it.

"Bloody hell Potter, I told you to move the feather, not attack me with it!" he sat up, rubbing his nose.

Victoria grinned widely.

"I think I've found my muse..." she remarked, holding the feather beside Draco in her line of vision.

"That's just bloody brilliant, next time can you at least give me some idea of what you're thinking about so I can take cover?" he snarled, his nose turning a bright shade of pink.

Victoria pouted. "Hey, I did what you said, didn't I? I think you should congratulate me, instead of swearing and insulting my person."

"I will do no such thing. And as punishment for attacking your professor, you shall practice for the next half hour, and I want to see that feather flying gracefully across the table to your hand by the end of it, understood?" he replied snappily.

Frowning, Victoria put the feather on the table again and stared at it.

'_Who does he think he is, putting on airs, telling me what to do, labelling himself a professor, he's so up himself he's almost inside out, the smarmy bastard...'_

She hardly noticed the feather drift across the table towards her. Continuing on her rant she place it back in position and absently watched it fly across the table several more times, each time in a different direction.

'_Bet Vernon wouldn't be so quick to tell me I'm useless if he could see this, Snape would probably explode, the jealous bastard, all the Slytherins would be amazed, they'd probably label me even more of a freak, a freaky flying feather mover feather fly drift move float freaking feather fly...'_

Slowly her eyes closed and she dropped on her side, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Warm arms wrapped around her and lifted up her unresisting body, drawing it against an even warmer chest.

She was vaguely aware of moving away from the couch and felt her feet brush the edge of a doorframe as she ascended.

Cold blankets covered her torso and warm hand brushed her cheek.

Just before she completely surrendered to the peaceful realm of slumber, a soft voice swirled around her thoughts, pleasant and familiar.

"...Goodnight Tori..."


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Twin Pains

Chapter Fourteen: Twin Pains… 

Victoria awoke with a splitting headache.

Groaning, she groped her way through the haze of her mind and somehow managed to get dressed before stumbling down the staircase and out to the dungeons.

Resting her head against the cold stone, she breathed slowly and waited for the pain to disappear.

After a few moments it lessened to a dull ache and she walked haphazardly up the corridor, occasionally brushing a statue or stumbling over the edge of a stone.

She paused to regain her balance before walking in a fairly straight line through the archway, out of the torch-lit dungeons and into the sunlight-filled Hall.

The chattering of hundreds of students rang in her ears as she slumped down in the corner of the Slytherin table.

Resting her head in her hands, she tried to relax in order to relieve the tension she was sure was causing the sensation that her skull was being squeezed in a vice.

After sitting with her head on her arms for a good five minutes, the pain dissolved and her mind began to clear.

Glancing along the table, she realized she wasn't hungry and decided to catch up on the homework she neglected the previous night.

_'But how am I gunna do Transfiguration before class begins?'_ she worried.

Her eyes locked on a familiar bushy-haired genius sitting at Gryffindor table.

_'When in doubt, use Hermione.'_

Victoria stood up, appreciating the return of her natural balance, and walked over to the… duo.

_'Wait a second, where's Harry?'_ she wondered.

The sidekicks were there, but the boy-who-lived was nowhere to be seen.

As she drew closer, she noticed that they were studiously ignoring one another, Hermione reading a book propped up against a milk jug, and Ron glaring at the Daily Prophet.

"Hem-hem." Victoria imitated Umbridge's attention-seeking cough.

Ron jumped while Hermione turned around slowly. Both relaxed when they saw it was just their best friends sister.

"Don't _do_ that!" Ron snapped, his sleeve hovering centimetres above the jam that lay on his toast.

"Was that really necessary?" Hermione asked, ruffled.

"Hey, I had to get your attention somehow." Victoria shrugged, inwardly cringing from the double onslaught of harsh words. "So tell me, where's Harry?" she asked, feeling this wasn't the best time to ask Hermione for 'help' with her homework.

"Infirmary." "Hospital Wing." Both answered simultaneously.

"He went there earlier this morning complaining of a headache." Hermione said quickly before Ron butted in with the long-winded explanation.

"He started yelling in his sleep at about six and was tossing and turning when Seamus 'n' me tried wake him, then he started thrashing. He kept pushing us away, hollering and kicking like mad." Ron's sleeve dipped into the jam several times as he waved his arms, imitating her brothers thrashing. "He even punched me before he finally woke up. Then he went all quiet and looked kinda shocked when he saw us, before grabbing his glasses and running to the Hospital Wing. I tried to ask him what was wrong and he yelled from the bottom of the stairs that he had a headache."

Hermione was eyeing his sleeve with disgust and added, "Of course, it was obvious that he wasn't just suffering from a headache, but Ron here," she glared at him with contempt, "thinks that he's just being 'smart' and using it as an excuse to skip Transfiguration class." She shook her head in disbelief. "As if Harry would be that pathetic. Only people like Ron would stoop so low as to fake illness in order not to attend class."

Victoria fiddled with the inside of her pocket as she remembered her plea to Harry yesterday. _'"Ugh, do I have to? __Can't I just go back to bed and call in sick?"'_

"Uh, yeah, well, thanks for telling me, and, uh, I hope Ron comes to his senses and, uh, yeah." She backed away as she talked. "Oh, and Ron, your sleeve is covered with jam." She added before spinning round and walking speedily to the stairs that lead to practically everywhere in Hogwarts but the dungeons.

#####

"Oh, hello Miss Potter. I suppose you'll be wanting to see your brother, won't you? Right this way dear."

Victoria followed Madame Pomfrey to the fifth bed on the left. In it lay Harry, pale against the hospital sheets, his glasses on the cabinet beside him.

"I'll leave you two now. Call me if anything goes wrong, dear." And with that she left, bustling off to mix dreadful potions and smooth bed sheets.

Victoria stood and watched her brother, a feeling of dread slowly seeping into her body. He looked so lifeless, pale and still. Almost as though he were on his deathbed.

"Stop it with the morbid thoughts Tori, I'm fine. I'm not dead, I'm not dying, and I'm not in pain. I'm just a bit freaked, that's all."

His eyelids flickered open and smiled at her. Brilliant green eyes sparkled with life, immediately reassuring her he was alive and well.

"You know me too well." She smiled back, before allowing her face to collapse into a worried frown.

"Why are you freaked? No, here's a better question, why are you here in the first place? No, wait, actually, start from the beginning and tell me everything. What happened this morning right up 'til now?" she asked.

Harry reached out and felt around for his glasses on the bedside cabinet.

"Little to your left." Victoria prompted.

Harry located his glasses and put them on, fiddling with the bridge for a few moments.

"They're fine Harry, you can tell they're sitting straight, now quit stalling and spill." Victoria pressed.

Harry started talking. "Alright, undoubtedly Ron and Hermione have told you their version already, so I'll skip that bit."

Victoria nodded. "Yes, you caused another spat, congratulations."

He sighed, fiddled with his glasses again, before launching into a recount of his morning.

"I was having a dream." A long pause followed.

Irritated by the dramatics, Victoria spurred him on with a sarcastic quip. "Wow, great story Harry, you should publish that one."

He glared at her. "Alright, alright, obviously you're not in the mood for suspense. Fine. I'll just give you the basics then."

"_Thank_you." She replied.

Fiddling with the rim of his glasses now, he continued from his brilliant opening line. "It started out normal, just random thoughts jumbled together, that kind of dream. I was seeker for England, and we were winning. I saw the snitch, and dropped into a dive. Just as I was about to grab it, everything changed. It became like one of those dreams I had last year. Remember?" he checked.

Victoria smirked. "What, you mean the one where Cho flies out of the crowd to smile at you, then she gives you a ki-?"

"Not that one!" Harry replied heatedly, his cheeks burning crimson. "The ones with _Voldemort_." He hissed.

As her mind was still locked on the previous subject, this statement sounded very wrong to her, and she had to force back unpleasant images of the Dark Lord, Harry, chains, whips and lube. Involuntarily, she shuddered.

Unaware of what he had just implied, Harry continued in detail. "It was as if I _was_ him and I was looking down on Pettigrew. He was snivelling at my feet, begging forgiveness. I- no, he laughed, and told him to get up. I- he took a seat and a huge snake, Nagini, wrapped around his chair. He told Pettigrew something like 'So we have a few helpers. That just means less work on our part.'"

Harry sat up in order to lean forward, engaging her in the story. "Pettigrew said something about one of them fraternizing with the enemy. I- he waved a hand and replied, 'It does not matter. We'll let them go to the trouble of locating and transporting, then we shall take them all. I'm sure Nagini will enjoy disposing of the evidence, won't you?' and then he patted the snakes head and laughed again. The laughter just went on, getting louder until it felt like my head was going to burst. I just wanted it to stop, I must have started kicking and yelling then, I don't remember much except the pain and someone grabbing my arm. When I opened my eyes, Ron and Seamus were staring at me, and Ron had a red mark on his cheek. My head was hurting like hell, and they looked like they were about to ask a million questions, so I grabbed my glasses and ran down the stairs, yelling back at Ron that I had a headache. I think I ran by Hermione in the commonroom, I'm not sure though. That's about all I have to tell, really. I just went here, told Madame Pomfrey I had a headache, drank some horrible muck and was lying in bed when you arrived and asked me all those questions." Harry finished quickly and lay back down, groaning softly.

"Does your head feel like it's being squeezed in a vice?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah, you could say that…" Harry replied hoarsely.

"I felt like that all this morning. Are you projecting your pain onto me again?" she asked suspiciously.

"Probably. We're twins, aren't we? …Allow me to share the pain, little sister..." He answered, using the mystical voice Trelawney used when predicting impending doom.

"I'm not your little sister! We're twins! How can I be little?" Victoria asked, annoyed by this position in the hierarchy she had been assigned.

"You were born eight days after me, you are younger than me, therefore, you are my little sister." He explained.

"That's not fair! So mum had a bit of a problem with the delivery, we're still twins, we were both produced from the same egg and we are both sixteen. You can't pull age rank on me now!" she declared hotly.

Harry grinned. "Alright, alright, you're my twin. Happy now?" He asked.

Victoria stood up. "Quite. Now I shall take my leave, _twin _brother. See you later."

Just as the door closed behind her, she heard him call out. "Later, baby sister!"

"I am NOT a BABY!" she yelled through the closed door before stomping down the staircase to her first class.

#####

Victoria pulled her cloak tighter around her body, shielding it from the cold wind that continued to mercilessly slash her unprotected face. Fragments of ice bounced off her cheeks as she hurried through Hogsmeade.

Darting around a slow couple wandering in front of her, she nipped into Honeydukes.

As the door closed behind her, she let out a sigh of relief and relished the warmth the little shop offered.

Releasing her grip on her cloak, she wandered along the shelves, examining the items on display.

'_Blood Lollipops… Butterballs… Ice Mice? God no…Cockroach Cluster…Rainbow Spits… Fizzing Whizzbees… Droobles BubbleGum, must get some of that… Acid drops… Sugar Quills… ah, Honeydukes Finest Chocolates! Peppermint, Strawberry, Lemon, Hazelnut, Cherry, Rum, Caramel, Fruit 'n' Nut, Dark, White, Milk, Dairy Milk- that's the one…let's see now, there's fun-size, small, medium, family block, giants block, celebratory block, lost-lover block, XXX block… hell, I'll go with a medium block of Dairy Milk Chocolate…god, that took forever, why do they have such a huge selection anyway? Who would actually eat an entire XXX block of Dark Lemon Chocolate?…Ok, maybe Neville would…"_

Victoria paid for her find and reluctantly left the warm store, returning to the freezing snow outside.

Walking quickly, she decided to return to school a bit later, and instead dived into the Three Broomsticks. It was full of people as usual, and the air was filled with laughter, warmth and the smell of alcohol combined with Rosmerta's perfume.

Victoria ordered a Butterbeer and quickly grabbed a table in the corner that a couple had just vacated.

While she waited for her drink she looked out the window and watched as new snow fell in little flakes, covering up the footsteps she had just created.

She was distracted by two loud voices in her ear.

"Vicky baby! Fancy seeing you here!"

"We thought we saw you hiding in this corner!"

Victoria turned to see two identical redheads grinning her.

"Hey, guys. Have a seat. Fred, don't call me Vicky. I hate that name, and you know it." She greeted the Weasley twin.

They both sat down opposite her and George picked up the block of chocolate she had just bought.

"For me? Babe, you shouldn't have!" he declared coyly.

"I didn't. It's for Harry." She replied, annoyed at being referred to as an infant again.

"Really? What's he done this time? Was it something good?" Fred asked excitedly.

She waved her hand in a gesture of dismissal. "No, nothing like that, he's just had a bit of a scare and been suffering from scar ache again, so I thought I'd do a Lupin and give him some chocolate." She smiled sweetly.

"My, aren't you a good sister. Wish _my_ twin would do something like that." George said pointedly.

Fred looked up from the saltshaker he was emptying onto the table. "What? What did I do?"

George clutched his chest and threw his head back dramatically. "What you _didn't_ do is the problem! Oh, all these years when I have been sick, you never did anything for me! Nothing! Oh the pain, oh the pain of it all! Never a kind word, never a present! I am ashamed to call you my twin! You are a disgrace, brother, an utter disgrace…" he trailed off, feigning despair as he laid his hand to his head.

Fred just grinned, poked the pile of salt into a mountain, and pulled out a little velvet bag. "Watch this Tori…" he said as he poured a thumbnail-worth of silver powder onto his hand and blew it over the salt mountain.

The silver cloud settled over the salt and the mountain sparkled. Grains began to lift into the area, quickly joined by its friends, before the salt spun in a circle about the size of sickle. The grains spun faster and tighter, forming a cone that was wide at the top and tapered off at the bottom. It danced across the table top, between the salt and peppershaker, and across to where Victoria was sitting. She reached out to touch it and it exploded, sending sugar and silver powder flying into her face.

Leaning back, she sneezed repeatedly as the twins howled with laughter.

"Bet that beats muggle sneezing powder, eh?" Fred crowed in between guffaws.

Brushing the powder and grains from her face, she nodded, feeling foolish for actually trusting the Weasley's not to pull a prank on her.

They were still laughing when Rosmerta arrived with her drink.

She smiled at the twins and asked them what they had been up to this time, but was unable to get a word out of them, because the question just caused them to burst into fresh peals of laughter.

Victoria sipped her drink and enjoyed the pleasant warming affect it had while the twins calmed down enough to talk normally again.

"Very funny guys. I take it the joke shop is going well then?" she inquired.

"Yeah, we were thinking about buying the shrieking shack instead. We know it's not haunted, and the entrance will be a great place to put samples of our scarier pranks." George answered, wiping a tear from his eye.

"But we're still having a bit of trouble with mum. You know how she is, she wants us to be all stiff and righteous, and sit at a desk job or something boring like that." Fred added, while George pretended to snore on his shoulder at the suggestion.

"How is Mrs Weasley anyway?" Victoria asked politely, not really caring for the answer.

"Actually, mum's been getting really weird lately." George answered.

Fred nodded in agreement. "Yeah, recently she's been sending us howlers practically the same day we do something fun. One time, we got a howler about something before we'd even done it! It was really strange, like she had read our minds or something…"

Victoria stopped listening after that sentence. Something in her memory was tugging at her, like a small child tugs on his mothers skirt when he wants to tell her something important.

'…_Four items; Telekinesis, Transmogrification, Teleportation and Telepathy… Telepathy, the ability to read minds… Mrs Weasley found a necklace with sapphires and emeralds on it… just like the items…'_

"No way..." she whispered out loud.

George nodded. "I know, she yelled at us just for that! I mean, come on, yell at us for a decent reason for a change…"

"Does Mrs Weasley wear that necklace you guys found when you blew up the house with some fireworks?" she interrupted.

"…and it wa- Huh? Oh, that. Yeah, wears it all the time, she absolutely loves it! Only takes it off at night. Why?" he asked.

"Just wondering…" she replied and gulped down the last of her Butterbeer.

"Well, I better get going, it's starting to get dark outside. It was nice chatting to you guys, good luck with the joke shop!" she jumped up, grabbed the chocolate and was out of the pub before they could say 'goodbye...' in return.

#####

Victoria ploughed through the snow as fast as she could, her eyes trained on the lights shining through the windows surrounding the Great Hall.

Consequently, she didn't see the figure before it was too late.

She crashed into the person and they both hit the snow, sinking about a foot before hitting a place where the ice was so compressed it could hold both of them.

Despite the freezing cold the pressed on her all around, Victoria felt warm as she lay on top of the person. It was a feeling that was familiar, although she couldn't think why.

"Get. Off. Me." The person gasped, and began shivering.

Hurriedly, she stood up, apologizing as she did.

The person sat up and let out a sharp laugh, devoid of humour. "I should have known it was you. Well, you better have a damn fine explanation Potter, because I have a ready-made grave dug here already, and plenty of snow to bury you with." The person threatened.

Victoria was confused. "What? What do I need to explain about? Who are you?"

The answer cut into her like several chilled knives. "Draco Malfoy, Quidditch Captain and seeker, who was missing a certain chaser this afternoon when she should have been here for the last Quidditch practice before the match tomorrow. Ring any bells?" he asked rhetorically, the snow warm in comparison to his voice.

"…Oh shit." Was the best reply Victoria could come up with.

"Oh shit indeed." Draco said pleasantly.

She slumped to the ground and stared at the snow. She had completely forgotten.

There was a scrunching of ice and Draco's outline drew so close to her face she could see his lips.

"WHERE the HELL _WERE_ YOU?" he yelled, and she leaned back as far as she could without falling over.

"A-at Hogsmeade…" she stuttered.

"Hogsmeade, well, isn't that nice, I'm so happy for you." He replied sarcastically. "Did you have a fun time shopping while the rest of the Slytherin team worked to ensure the victory of tomorrow's game? Did you have a good laugh at us freezing our arses off while you sat in the warmth? Did you even consider ASKING if we had one last practice before tomorrow? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!? If you weren't a girl, I'd be wringing your neck right now! You must be the most selfish player on team! Going to Hogsmeade while we were practicing…" he ranted.

Victoria sat upright again. There was only one word in the English language that could be said during a situation as dangerous as this one.

"…Sorry…" she apologised in a meek voice.

Draco broke off, sighed and returned to the shadows. "Thankyou. Although sorry can hardly replace an entire afternoons practice, it's probably about the best I'm going to get from you." He accepted her apology half-heartedly and stood up.

As she tried to stand, her feet sunk deeper into the snow, making it hard to balance.

A hand slid out of the darkness: an offer. She grasped it gratefully and was pulled to her feet.

They were walking back to the castle in silence when Victoria remembered why she had been running in the first place.

"Draco, wait, I have good news! I know where another item is!" She declared suddenly.

"So this afternoon wasn't a total waste then…" he grumbled.

Victoria ignored him and continued. "Fred and George were complaining that their mum seemed able to read their minds lately, ever since she started wearing a necklace they found, that has _sapphires_ and _emeralds_. The necklace must be another item, the one that holds the power of Telepathy! We've gotta get it tonight and bring it back here for safe-keeping! Harry said he had a dream about Voldemort talking about the items and his henchmen collecting them, at least I think that's what it was about, so we have to get that necklace from the Burrow before they do!" she said excitedly.

Draco didn't seem to share her enthusiasm. "Two questions. One: What is the 'Burrow'?"

"It's what the Weasley's call their house." Victoria answered quickly.

"Should have been called the 'Pigsty' then…" he muttered. Louder, he said. "And Two: Have you forgotten about our Quidditch match tomorrow? If we run off and get the item tonight, we'll be falling off our brooms due to sleep-deprivation during the game!"

"Oh, right, sorry." Victoria apologized again. "Ok, tomorrow then?" she asked.

"Fine, tomorrow, but I don't want you to be distracted during the game because you're planning, alright?" he settled.

"Ok, fine. Um, who are we playing tomorrow?" she asked, afraid he might start yelling again.

Draco just sighed loudly. "Gryffindor."

"Oh, right… wait, Harry's in hospital still, how are they going to play?" she wondered.

Draco shrugged elegantly and pushed open the door, walking through first.

Victoria slipped inside quickly and he let the door fall shut again.

The first thing she saw was Harry, sitting at the table closest to her, wedged between Ron and Hermione.

Smiling, she walked over to him.

"Hey, so you're feeling better now?" she asked.

He nodded and swallowed. "Yeah, good thing too, we've got that match tomorrow."

Victoria nodded and pulled the chocolate block out of her pocket. "A bit late for a 'Get Well' present then, huh?" she waved it in front of him.

He smiled. "Better late than never." He replied and took the chocolate from her.

"Oh, and by the way, Mrs Weasley has a necklace with telepathy. Safety retrieval, tomorrow night." she added quietly.

Harry nodded in comprehension, and Hermione exchanged glanced with them. Ron continued shovelling food down at the speed of sound.

Harry ripped the foil off the chocolate.

"Not until after you've finished your dinner, you man." Victoria wagged a finger at him.

"If I give you some, can I eat it now?" he asked sweetly and broke off a row.

"Well…" she paused, eyeing the sweets, "I'm not one for bribery, but I'll take it." She agreed and plucked the bar from his fingers.

"Thankyou Tori." He chimed like a kindergartener and grinned.

"You're welcome Harry." She echoed and walked over to the Slytherin table to grab what was left of the Shepard's Pie.

#####

"HELLO, AND WELCOME TO TODAY'S QUIDDITCH MATCH! IT'S SLYTHERIN VERSUS GRYFFINDOR, AND WHAT A MATCH THIS PROMISES TO BE! LONGTIME RIVALS, POTTER AND MALFOY, ARE PLAYING IN THEIR FIRST GAME OF THE YEAR WITH TEAMS THEY HAVE TRAINED! AND HERE COME THE PLAYERS!" Jordan roared from the commentators box as the quidditch teams flew onto the pitch.

"…BELL, WEASLEY AAAAAND HERE'S POTTER!"

Three-quarters of the crowd cheered, covering up the hisses and boos from the last quarter.

"…CRABBE, GOYLE AAAND MALFOY, the greasy git!" he added, yelping as Professor McGonagall hit him on the head for being biased.

"I was just adding a bit of colour, prof." He protested.

Victoria laughed and flew into formation with the rest of the Slytherin team.

Both teams landed and faced each other, brooms still mounted, and waited for Madame Hooch to start the game.

"Hey Tori, no Slytherin tricks, alright?" Harry asked.

"Don't worry about me, I've got no tricks to pull. You want the Weasley twins for that." She replied breezily.

"No fraternizing with the enemy." A male chaser told her.

"He's not the enemy, he's my brother!" She snapped back.

Madame Hooch blew the whistle and she kicked off hard.

A female Gryffindor grabbed the quaffle and sped off towards the goal, with Victoria in hot pursuit.

Halfway down the field she caught up and pushed the ball out from underneath her opponents arm.

Before it fell, Victoria caught it and spun off in the opposite direct, leaving the Gryffindor confused and minus one quaffle.

A bludger whizzed past her shoulder and she rolled before speeding up.

Another Gryffindor chaser flew towards her, so she dropped into a dive before pulling up in a vertical U-turn, dodging the chaser completely.

The goal drew close, the Gryffindor keeper hovering over by the left side hoop.

'_Too easy_.' Victoria grinned and let fly.

The ball soared through the air, bounced off the edge of the right hoop and fell through to the other side.

"AND THAT'S FIFTY POINTS FOR SLYTHERIN!" Jordan's commentary roared in her ears as she did a celebratory loop before flying back to the centre.

Slytherin was half-heartedly cheering, undecided whether a goal by a Potter was a good thing or not.

Victoria saw Harry and waved at him. He smiled quickly and continued searching for the snitch, Draco doing the exact same thing at the opposite end of the pitch.

"POTTER SCORES FIRST FOR SLYTHERIN. LET'S HOPE GRYFFINDOR DOESN'T ALLOW THEM AN EARLY LEAD, OR THIS MATCH MIGHT STRETCH ON FOR SEVERAL DAYS!" Jordan yelled.

The quaffle was dropped and a male Slytherin beater whacked it in her direction.

She swooped in and grabbed before speeding down the pitch a second time.

Two Gryffindor beaters flew in her way and one hit a bludger towards her.

She swerved to the left and threw the quaffle to another Slytherin chaser hovering behind them, whereupon he flew down the court and…

"SLYTHERIN SCORES AGAIN! THAT'S SLYTHERIN; ONE HUNDRED POINTS, GRYFFINDOR; ZERO. COME ON GRYFFINDOR!" Jordan displayed his biased nature again.

Things were going well until a Gryffindor chaser got a hold of the quaffle and actually made it to the goal.

"AND BELL SHOOTS, COME ONE ANGELA, AND SHE SCORES! YOU GO GIRL!" Jordan cheered on his favourite player, along with most of the school.

And so the match dragged on, until Slytherin and Gryffindor were tied.

"SLYTHERIN; TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY, GRYFFINDOR; TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY! WHO WILL SCORE NEXT? WHICH ONE OF THE SEEKERS WILL CATCH THE ELUSIVE GOLDEN SNITCH? WILL THIS MATCH FINISH BEFORE LUNCHTIME?" Jordan screamed rhetorically, his own needs obvious.

Victoria watched the Slytherin chaser fly past her with the Quaffle, and was debating whether to help when there was a deafening roar from the crowd.

Two people streaked past her, the resulting wind whipping the tie from her hair.

Annoyed, she dived after it, unaware that she was drawing in line with the two people.

She grabbed the hair tie just as her shoulder brushed a seeker.

Glancing beside her, she was surprised to see Harry and Draco neck and neck with her, the Snitch fluttering centimetres from their fingertips.

She stared as Harry grabbed a wing, pulled it towards him and Draco snatched the golden snitch seconds before Harry's hand could close over it, leaving him grasping nothing.

The two pulled up suddenly and before she realised what was going on, it was too late.

The tip of her broom drove itself into the ground and she was flung off it.

A shocked scream ripped from her throat as she collided with the seekers, and the three of them hit the ground, becoming hopelessly tangled.

Embarrassment and confusion flooded her senses emotionally, while physically she was aware of someone crushing her left arm and someone squeezing what little air that was left out of her lungs.

Madame Hooch was standing over them and tugging the snitch out of a hand, then Ron was hauling Harry to his feet while Jordan screamed "HE GOT THE SNITCH, HARRY POTTER GOT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS! GRYFFINFOR WINS! GRYFFINDOR…"

Then it all faded away as the lack of oxygen and shock worked its magic on her system, closing down her mind for recuperation.

"But… Draco won…" she gasped before she blacked out completely.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: A Little Less Conversat...

Chapter Fifteen: A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action Please...

Barely three minutes later Victoria regained her consciousness and indignation.

Standing up, she glanced around, searching for the large red group that would be securing Harry from view. However, there was hardly anyone left on the Quidditch pitch but her and a few slow walkers climbing down from the stands.

Annoyed, she pulled back her hair in a ponytail again, picked up her broom from where it was stuck in the ground and stomped off to the change rooms.

They were devoid of any players, and she changed quickly into her more comfortable clothes, managing to mess up her hair in the process.

Walking over to a mirror, she pulled her hair back in a low ponytail for a second time and quickly checked her outfit. An old red t-shirt and navy tracksuit pants weren't exactly a fashion statement, but it would have to do.

Picking up her broom, she walked briskly in the direction of the hospital wing, swinging by the broom shed on the way past.

The Great Hall had a few people scattered about, playing exploding snap and wizard chess to pass the time. Ignoring them, she clumped up the long flights of stairs, paying no attention to the people she passed.

_'If Harry isn't here, I swear I will wring his neck for allowing me to climb all these steps. God, a world full of magic and they don't have something that resembles an elevator for disabled or tired people..._' she grumbled to herself.

Finally she reached the right floor, and walked through the door leading to the infirmary.

"Oh, hello again Miss Potter. I've been seeing you a lot lately. Is there anything wrong?" Madame Pomfrey asked cheerfully.

Victoria waved a hand dismissively. "No, I'm fine, just checking if Harry is here."

"Oh no, I'm sorry dear, but he just left. It was only a couple of bruises, nothing to worry about. By the way, how did the match go?" she asked nicely.

"Not as planned." She replied vaguely.

"Ah well, better luck next time dear. Well, I better be getting back to work!" she smiled and tottered off.

_'Right, that's it, I'm going to wring his neck the moment I find him.'_ Victoria decided and walked back down the stairs, heading towards Gryffindor common room this time.

Although the journey downhill should have been easier, it wasn't. Every time a staircase began moving she stumbled down a few steps, clinging to the handrail for balance.

She was quite glad when it was time to get off the stairs and onto the carpeted hallway.

Approaching the portrait of the large woman in a pink dress, she stopped as she realised she had no idea what the password was.

The fat lady looked expectantly at her. "Well, are you going in or not?"

"Yes, in a moment, I just need to remember the password." She assured the painting.

She stood there for a good five minutes, first trying to think it, then throwing random names at the portrait, before just hovering nearby.

Just when she was about to give up and walk back downstairs, the portrait swung open and Neville tried to climb out.

"Hey Neville, let me help you there." She offered and held back the portrait.

"Wha? Oh, uh, thanks." He replied absently and tumbled out and onto the floor, before standing up unsteadily and walking away.

"No, thank_you_." Victoria said quietly and slipped into the Gryffindor common room, the portrait swinging shut behind her.

She walked onto the carpet and was immediately seized with an unholy urge to hit everyone in the room.

A large crowd of Gryffindors were laughing and cheering while patting random Quidditch players on the back. Harry was sitting on a chair in the middle, looking glummer with each cheer.

"That was amazing, Harry!"

"Way to go! We sure showed those Slytherins!"

"Yeah, Gryffindor RULES!"

Victoria lost the urge to hurt her brother and pushed her way through the crowd.

"Harry?" she asked.

He looked up slowly. "Oh, hello Tori. Here to congratulate me too?" he asked dejectedly.

"Hardly. I was hoping we could talk. Alone." She added seriously, glancing at Hermione and Ron who were comparing homework nearby.

"Sure, anything to get me away from here." He replied and the two pushed back through the crowd.

"Hey Harry, we're ya going? The party's just started!" Jordan called. He was the only one who did. The rest of the crowd were too busy admiring the remains of the quidditch team.

Harry ignored him and slipped out of the common room.

Once they were both outside, Victoria laid it on him.

"Draco got the snitch first, I saw it with my own two eyes, yet here you are, receiving praise for the winning the match, so what the hell HAPPENED?!" she yelled.

Harry clapped a hand over her mouth. "Not so loud, Tori!"

She wrenched it away. "I'll be as loud as I damn well please, Mr Potter. Now tell me the truth!" she replied, quieter this time.

Harry shrugged. "I don't really know. I tried to grab the snitch before you rammed into me and then suddenly I was holding the snitch and everyone was cheering."

"That's it? That's all you remember?" Victoria asked, disbelieving.

"Yes. Malfoy would probably know, why don't you go ask him. That is, if you dare face him right now." He added.

"Maybe later..." Victoria replied, remembering how angry he got every time Slytherin lost to Gryffindor.

"Alright then, when you're ready. Are we still going out tonight?" Harry asked.

"What? Us, going out?" Victoria answered, startled as her mind presenting unwanted incest.

Harry shook his head. "Not like _that_. I meant with the item."

"Oh yeah, the item, sorry." She apologised meekly. "Yes, we'll go tonight at, say, one?" she suggested.

"One in the morning? Why wait for that long?" he asked, taken aback.

"It's the weekend, everyone will go to bed later, we can't just waltz out at eleven with a 'Toodles, we're off to steal jewellery from the Weasley family even though it's after curfew!' Actually, I think Draco could probably do that... but it's just safer this way. Ok?" she asked.

"Alright, I'll tell Ron and Hermione..." Harry agreed.

"No! We are not dragging the entire trio as well as Draco and me into the Burrow!" Victoria stated adamantly

"What? It's Ron's house! He has to come! And Hermione has the spells to help us. If anyone should stay behind, it's Malfoy." He retorted.

"If you put it like that, then you and I are pretty useless too, but we're not going to be left behind, now are we?" she pointed out.

"Alright, we have two options here. We can either be selective in our companions, or we can allow our companions to be selective. And if we take the second choice, then we will probably get left behind." He said logically.

"Then let's be selfish and be selective in our companions. I suppose Draco wouldn't really be much help, but if he stays behind, so does Hermione. Ron is the only one who we need since it is his house." She decided, wondering how she would explain this to Draco.

Harry also looked unsure. "Well... alright, just the three of us. Ron and I will meet you outside by the broom shed again tonight at one o'clock."

"So it's settled. I'll see you later, Harry." Victoria waved goodbye and began walking back towards the staircase.

#####

Victoria had managed to avoid Draco for most of the day, but when evening rolled around she was confronted with the irate blonde.

She attempted to keep walking past but he reached out and grabbed her arm, swinging her round to face him.

"Aren't we forgetting something?" He asked, using royal terms.

Victoria looked blankly at him.

"Telekinesis lessons, Tori." He reminded her.

"Oh!" she declared as she remembered the previous night. "Sorry about that, I completely forgot after you told me about the Quidditch match the next day."

"You forgot. Just like you forgot Quidditch practice. Are you so incompetent that you cannot hold more than one thought in your mind at any given time? Maybe you're prone to fits of somatome? Or perhaps you're just stupid." He stated coldly.

"I am not stupid, Draco. If anyone is, it's you. How could you just let Harry take the credit for catching the snitch?" she asked sceptically.

"That was not my fault. I caught it first, but the bloody umpire wasn't watching. Then you had to come flying in and bash us off our brooms, making me drop the snitch. So of course it lands in bloody perfect Potter's outstretched hand, and suddenly he's the winner. If it is anyone's fault, it's yours, completely and totally." Draco berated Victoria, slowly closing in on her. "If you hadn't flown down to join us, you wouldn't have crashed into us, we wouldn't have been flung to the ground, I wouldn't have dropped the snitch and Harry bloody Potter would have faded into the shadows while I basked in the glow of Slytherin admiration. Hell, I would have settled for the look on Potter's face if the umpire had actually seen me catch the snitch first."

"But we don't always get what we want, now do we?" Victoria added sarcastically, becoming uncomfortable as Draco began to push her against the wall.

"No, we don't..." he gripped her other arm and applied force, causing her back to flatten against the deep blue wallpaper that covered the corridors near the Raveclaw common room. "...but sometimes we can bend the rules a bit, to get what we want..." he added quietly, pressing up against her.

"Uh, Draco, w-what are you doing?" she asked apprehensively, the feeling of his warm body against hers familiar yet uncomfortable.

"Getting what I want..." he whispered smoothly.

Victoria began to panic as his face drew closer to hers. Closing her eyes, she hoped, not too hard, that she was dreaming. When she felt his soft lips rest against hers, her body decided to detach from her mind, leaving her to rant while the rest of her engaged in a game of tonsil hockey with the experienced blonde.

_'Oh my god. I'm up against a wall with my brother-to-be. This is not good. This is a very wrong situation. Siblings should not lip-lock, I mean, the Greek only make contact with cheeks when they kiss. Even men from the strangest cultures don't go so far as to stick their tongue down their sister's throat! It's just wrong! But then again, he's not actually my brother as of yet, so technically it's ok. He's just a Malfoy, that's all, which doesn't make this any better! He is a damn fine kisser though, you gotta hand him that. Not that I really know much about it. No, I am not going to just give him, I should get him to stop or el- Oh my GOD! What the hell is that!? Bloody hell, I hope he just left his wand in his front pocket! I mean, come on, I know teenage boys are horny but this is just, UGH! This is disgusting! Get him off me get him off me get him off get him off get him OFF ME!'_

It was a great surprise to her when her request was granted, albeit not how she imagined.

With a thump, Draco whacked against the wall opposite and fell to the floor.

"What the hell is your problem Potter!?" he snarled and picked himself up.

Victoria was too busy trying to remember how to breathe to take any notice of what he was saying. Her eyes were glued on his shirt, which had slid off one shoulder after a few buttons were ripped from their position from the impact.

When he moved, it slid down lower, and she couldn't help but look further down. His black trousers were straining to contain what she naively hoped was a pair of socks that had been misplaced.

Following her gaze, he looked down, before quickly dragging his shirt over the bulge.

"Don't you know it's rude to stare?!" he demanded, turning pink.

"Pardon me, but it's kind of hard not too." She replied, dragging her gaze to meet his eyes before allowing them to return to their original position.

It was a view every Hogwarts girl dreamed of, and she was not about to ignore it. But what she saw the second time wasn't what she expected.

Ghostly and frail, he just stood there, blushing. His fine blonde hair fell over his dark grey eyes, concealing them, the milky skin of his naked shoulder bare for all to see, presenting a different image to what the tailored clothes created. The shirt no longer draped elegantly over his slender frame. It hung off his bones, like the remains of a carcass that had been stripped of almost all its flesh.

Or a boy, who had been robbed of his spirit.

Then the image was gone. He was just Draco Malfoy again, the damn prat who she loved to hate.

'_Or is it hated to love?_' Victoria wondered briefly before the awkwardness of the situation reached her senses.

Embarrassed, she looked away and quickly began to walk back along the corridor, heading towards the Great Hall.

She didn't dare to look back, afraid of what else she might see.

#####

_'Goddammit, he is such a bastard! Why did he have to kiss me? I am so confused now! How the hell am I supposed to face him for my lesson without seeing that image of him? Why did I even see that? He's an egotistical, sex-obsessed pure-blood, not some damn lost puppy looking for a little recognition! ...I think...'_

Victoria had been flying in around the Quidditch pitch for hours, trying to sort out her feelings and avoiding any human confrontation. The sun had gone down two hours ago, but she persisted, soaring through the darkness, ignoring the moonlit lake that reflected the stars above. She was in no mood for a romantic scene.

In fact, if she had the choice, she would be in the middle of an epic struggle with a three headed hydra rather than here, thinking these thoughts.

Sighing, she tightened her grip and did three rounds of the hoops, weaving in and out before dropping into a dive.

As the ground approached, she considered letting go of the broom and falling into a world of hurt, but decided against it.

Wrenching the broom upwards she streaked back up into the night sky.

She didn't really like pain.

Physical or emotional.

Swinging around in downward spirals, she attempted to sort out her feelings, but found the task far too daunting to handle.

Absentmindedly she landed and dismounted her broom, walking slowly towards the castle again before realising what she had done.

Sighing, she considered remounting, but recognised one of the feelings she had as fatigue.

She trudged through the thin layer of ice that coated the grass, dragging her broom back to the shed.

The wind picked up out of nowhere and she lost her grip on the broom. It leapt out of her hand and jumped across the grass, before rolling to a stop at the foot of a statue.

Grumbling, she trotted over to the lightweight broom and picked it up.

The statue coughed.

"ARRRRGGGHHHH!" Victoria yelled and began to run in the opposite direction before she remembered most statues moved in Hogwarts, and therefore presumably spoke.

"Coward." The statue remarked.

"Excuse me?" she spun round to face the shadowed figure.

"You heard me. Now are you going to run away from me a second time, or are you going to be a good girl and actually attend your lesson?"

"Oh god, it's you Draco." Victoria realised.

"Of course it's me. Who else would bother to walk outside to get you on a miserable night like this?" Draco replied snappily.

"Harry, for one. And I thought you were a statue. I'm not such a coward as to run from a little confrontation." She lied.

"Then let's go. You've barely begun to learn about telekinesis, and you need all the practice you can get." He ordered.

Grumbling quietly, Victoria followed his shadow back inside the castle.

After a few moments of silence, the tension in the air relaxed as a previous statement was followed up on.

"A statue?" Draco asked, amused. "You would really run from a statue?"

"Shut up." She told him.

#####

"Alright, let's try this again. Push the feather toward me in a straight line. Toward _me_, in a _straight line_." Draco repeated for the seventh time.

Victoria stared at the feather, focusing all her frustration on it. It flew across the table and onto the pillow sitting on the other side of the couch from him.

"Potter, are you even listening to me?" He asked prissily as he picked up the feather and placed it back on the table.

"Yes. Although teachers usually do more than just throw demands at a student." She replied through gritted teeth.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry you feel that way, because until you make this feather fly in a straight line towards the required target, I'm not going to do much else." He said testily.

Victoria glared at the feather and mentally demanded that it fly down Draco's throat and choke him.

It flipped in the air and landed on his head.

A young Slytherin girl studying nearby laughed as he plucked it out of his hair and nearly inhaled it.

Victoria continued to glare at the feather, willing it to do her dirty work for her.

The feather twisted out of his fingers and began tickling his lips.

"Potter, what the fu-"he gagged as it flew in his mouth.

The two Slytherin girls laughed as he coughed, the tip of the feather disappearing down his throat.

With a horrible retching sound, the feather was gone, leaving one very pale Malfoy.

"See? It's not very pleasant to have things stuck down your throat without warning." Victoria pointed out, smirking with sadistic pleasure at the symbolism.

Draco started making some very odd squeaky sounds, and began to turn white.

Worried that she might actually have caused him to suffocate, she ran over to him.

She raised her hand to whack him on the back, but he grabbed both her wrists and flung her down on the stone floor, causing her to yelp.

Like lightening, he landed on top of her and jammed his knee into her ribs, driving the air from her lungs.

Gasping, she wrenched one arm from his grip and punched him in the mouth.

He responded with a swing at her chin, cracking her head back.

Using the momentum created, she swung her hips up, causing him to overbalance and roll off her.

He landed on his stomach and she flipped over before crashing her full weight on top of him, squeezing the breath out of him.

While he was still in shock, she grabbed his other arm and twisted it around his back.

He yelled in pain and jerked his other arm forward and back again to hit her in the face.

The sound the fist made when it connected sent the Slytherin girl scurrying upstairs.

Struggling not to cry, Victoria released that arm and held it to her face.

It stung to touch, so she quickly withdrew it.

Upset, she jerked him arm back further, and a yelp issued from the blonde.

"Potter, get off me!" he demanded and attempted to wriggle out of her grip.

"No. You hurt me. Badly. Now I'm going to do the same to you." She replied fiercely and began to punch his back, relishing each thump and wince it caused.

Enraged, he used one hand to propel his torso up and she slid off his back, dragging his arm into a more normal position.

He sat up on his heels and yanked her toward him, bringing her face close enough for her to see the look in his eyes.

It was angry confusion.

"Why did you do that to me?" He asked gruffly, gripping her forearms to prevent her from getting up.

"Because you did it to me." She replied matter-of-factly.

"Did what? Insulted you, kissed you, embarrassed you, hurt you?" He inquired.

"All of the above, Draco. All of it." She replied stonily.

"So that justifies attempted murder, does it? You almost killed me then. I could have choked on that feather." He informed her.

"That was the idea." She informed him.

"Do you hate me so much that you want me dead?" he asked.

"Pretty much." She admitted.

"Really?" he looked rejected. "Because I don't hate you at all."

"You don't?" Victoria asked, genuinely surprised.

"No. Quite the opposite." He answered as he wrapped his arms around her.

"There's really no point to us fighting, is there?" she asked, quietly.

"Maybe I like fighting people." He suggested contradictorily.

"No you don't." Victoria stated.

"Maybe I like fighting you." He continued.

"Hmmm... Maybe I like fighting you too." She decided and slipped her head under his chin.

"Then it's settled. We both like fighting each other." He concluded, smiling gently.

"Fine with me..." Victoria agreed, well aware of the substitution of 'like fighting' for 'love'.

"Tori?" he asked a while later, holding her against him.

"Yes?" she murmured into his neck.

"You do realise that you're getting blood on my shirt, don't you?"

"What?!" she jerked away from him and stared.

His white shirt was splattered with droplets of blood.

"Oh shit. I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding, where is it, where am I bleeding?" she rambled, worried about her health.

Draco leant over and kissed her on the left side of her mouth, cleaning her split lip.

"Right there." He said, licking his lips.

"What the hell? What are you, a vampire or something? You could have just pointed!" she cried, embarrassed by this display of unusual intimacy and upset by the pain it had caused.

"Mother always says that it's rude to point. Oh, it's still bleeding." He said breezily and leant in again.

Victoria was ready for him this time. Once his lips closed over hers she reached out and bit his bottom lip.

She felt his yelp reverberate in her throat before he pulled away.

"And you call me a vampire!" he pouted and sucked his lip.

"I told you before, I don't like it when you do things like that without warning. I only shoved a feather down your throat the first time. Next time it will be a copy of Hogwarts: A History." She threatened.

"An excellent book that one, although I can't get excited by the prospect of having it stuck in my gullet." He commented.

"You've actually read it?" Victoria asked in disbelief.

"Of course. Who hasn't?" he asked, shrugging elegantly.

"The only other person who I know who's bothered to read it is Hermione, and she quotes it every second day." She informed him.

He smirked. "Of course. Standard reading for that mudblood, a two thousand page book."

"Her name's Hermione Granger. Use it." Victoria defended the bookworm.

"No, I don't believe I will." He decided and stood up, stretching.

"What time is it?" Victoria asked, suddenly remembering her meeting with Harry and Ron.

Draco looked at his silver watch. "Half past twelve. Why?"

She paused, considering what she had to say before saying it. "Draco, you do know you were most useful when we had to collect that item from the Manor, and I'm most grateful for that, but Harry and I decided that it would be best if we and Ron only went to collect the second item."

Draco gave her a look of contempt. "So you've rejected me in favour of Weasley?"

"No, that's not it, it's just that it is his house, and we need to get the item quickly, so-"

"So Harry and Victoria Potter get to go off on the adventure while I sit on the backburner. That's it, isn't it? It's always the Potters. Fine. Goodnight, Victoria." He dismissed her coldly and walked up the stairs leading to the Slytherin boys dormitory.

"Draco, wait..." she called out, but he just shut the door, cutting off her last words.

"God_dam_mit! You are such an arrogant prick! Why can't you listen to me when I explain something? Grrrgh!" she grumbled as she stomped out of the Slytherin common room.

"Because you're a selfish brat, and so is your brother!" Draco responded from behind the closed door.

"Oh, and you're not? God, and we were getting along so well, too." She added loudly.

"Just go away, Victoria. Go save the day with precious Potter." He yelled, the sound muffled slightly.

"Fine! I hope you die before we return, and that your corpse is befouled by necrophiliacs!!" she roared back at the door. "Good _night_!" With those final, rash words, she stormed out, leaving behind her a heavy silence.

#####

Victoria ran across the icy grounds and hid in the broom shed.

As soon as she got there, the flood of tears that had been threatening to consume her burst forth. Sobbing, she leant against the wall, her head in her arms.

"Victoria, what's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned.

Startled, she spun round.

Her brother was standing in the shadows with Ron, who appeared to be asleep on his feet.

Embarrassed, she turned away as he walked up and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Victoria? Come on, you can tell me. It'll make you feel better." He said gently.

Sniffing, she shook her head and tried to dry her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper.

"It can't be all that bad." He nudged.

"It's beyond bad, it's terrible. My life is one big mess of emotions, and all of them are conspiring against me!" she wailed in-between hiccups. "I don't know whether I hate or love someone, or both, and we were getting along great, then suddenly we were shouting at each other, and we said some horrible things, and everything is ruined!"

Harry hugged her close in an attempt to comfort her. "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll work out. You were probably both so tired that you said things you didn't mean. It'll all look better in the morning. Trust me." He reassured gently.

Victoria sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

"Come on now, we have an item to get. You can't fly while trying to wipe away tears, can you, so cheer up. It'll turn out alright." He hushed her as she began hiccuping again.

"Ok, I'll try." She agreed. "Thanks Harry."

In the corner, Ron swayed on his feet, then began to snore.

* * *

Is it just me, or is this angst central? I'm sorry guys, I don't know what came over me. But once I write something, I can't bear to wipe it from existance. So maybe you should remember my earlier brillance and just read on.

There are quotes from Red Dwarf in this, and two rewritten quotes supplied by a friend of mine who is excellent at inventing insults and threats.

Special thanks to The Dark One, for her help with a particular sentence.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Black Feathers of Midni...

Chapter Sixteen: Black Feathers of Midnight Flight

Victoria flew through the darkness, immersed in thought. The tears had long since been wiped away, leaving behind unpleasant emotions that conjured distasteful images in her mind. Despite the fact that they were truly repulsive creations, she couldn't help but enjoy some of them.

She particularly liked the one where Draco was decapitated by her sword while he was yelling obscenities at her, only for the head to bounce on the floor a few times before spontaneously combusting. The wet thwack that accompanied the idea gave her immense satisfaction.

The wind that whipped her in the face and tugged at her tracksuit while these thoughts whirled inside her head increased its power and she was brought back to reality as she fought to regain her balance.

"Tori! Are you alright?" Harry called from the lead, his broom tail shaking violently as it struggled to maintain its original course against the gale.

Light rain began to fall from the clouds and as she opened her mouth to reply, a particularly big drop hit her in the face.

Surprised, she loosened her grip on the broom slightly and a big gust of wind swept her up, tilting her broom until it was vertical and pushing her further behind Harry.

Desperately she clung to the broom as she was buffeted back, coming to an abrupt halt when she smashed into Ron. If he had let out a yell when they collided, it was lost in the wind.

Using his shoulder to steady herself she swung her broom back to its original horizontal angle.

"Tori! Ron! Are you alright? Ron! Tori!" Harry's voice was carried to them and beyond by the wind.

Gripping her broom tightly with one hand she seized Ron's shoulder and the two of them flew haphazardly towards Harry, the rain distorting their vision.

Suddenly Ron grabbed her collar and yelled in her ear, "Down there! Go down there!" while pointing at a dark shadow that stood in the middle of an open field.

Glad for a reason to get out of the storm, she dived, dragging him down with her. Up ahead, she could see Harry pause before doing likewise.

The three of them landed abruptly and ran towards the dark building, clutching their brooms tightly.

Ron reached the door first, flung it open and sprinted inside. Harry and Victoria tumbled in seconds later.

The door slammed shut and the three lay on the floor of The Burrow, gasping and sodden.

"Next time, we check the forecast first." Victoria decided.

"What's a forecast?" Ron asked.

Growling, she thumped her head on the floor in exasperation.

"Quiet, you'll wake up my parents!" Ron hissed.

"I doubt that. If that door didn't wake them, nothing will." she declared.

Harry sat up and looked around.

"So… where would we find the necklace then?" he asked quietly.

"It's probably in her jewel box." Ron replied, sitting up slowly.

Victoria heaved herself off the floor.

"And where might that be?" she asked, watching streams of water run off her tracksuit with mild interest.

"In the bedroom." He stood up and ruffled his hair to get some water out.

She nodded wearily. "Of course, I should have known. The worst possibly place it could be, aside from around her neck."

"Well, it might be, actually." He added.

Harry and Victoria groaned simultaneously.

"Tell you what, you get the necklace, and we'll stay here. If they wake up, you can claim you were homesick or something…" she suggested.

Harry gave her a look of disapproval.

"Fine, I'm going, I'm going." She grumbled and the three of them crept up the stairs.

Gentle snoring could be heard during the moments when the wind died down briefly before picking up again.

Ron reached the top of the stairs, motioned for them to be quiet, and opened the door. He slipped inside, shortly followed by Harry.

Victoria was about to follow when she noticed a light underneath the door next to her. Putting her ear to the wood, she heard mumbling.

Fear gripping her chest, she pulled away and hurried up the stairs into the main bedroom.

Harry was sifting through a box and Ron was pulling out the drawers in the bedside table.

Mr and Mrs Weasley were curled up under the blankets, dead to the world, Mrs Weasley snoring occasionally.

She crept over to Harry, and whispered, "Someone is awake in the other room! We have to go!"

His eyes widened and he replied, " But I can't find it! All this jewellery looks the same. I can't see any colours in here."

"Take the box and go then!" she hissed and shuffled over to Ron.

She was about to tap him on the shoulder when a flash of lightening illuminated the room.

Gold, blue and green diamonds of light appeared on the beside table. Victoria shook her head and picked up the necklace.

Ron looked up from the drawers he was searching through a snorted crossly at the obvious location of the item.

Harry put the jewel box back on the dressing table and the three exited the room.

Stepping gently they made their way down the stairs quickly.

She eyed the door nervously while they passed. The light was still on, but there was no movement.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and practically ran to the door, scooping up their brooms as they left.

As they flew unsteadily into the night sky, Victoria thought she saw two figures standing at the illuminated window, waving at them.

* * *

Victoria slept for most of the next day, waking in the late afternoon in order to complete some homework. The necklace had been hidden along with the sword under her bed, buried beneath some loose stones in the floor. She checked on it every two hours or so, now worried that the two items might have a reaction to each other and attract attention. 

On one of her visits she discovered Draco lounging on one of the couches, reading a book. She considered turning tail and exiting quietly, but her guilt got the better of her.

Walking up to the blonde, she stood meekly and waited for him to acknowledge her presence.

He continued reading, ignoring her.

Resigned to the fact that he was still displeased with her, she steeled herself for one of the most gruelling tasks one ever has to put oneself through: apologizing.

"Malfoy, we need to talk." She said, continuing the façade that they were not companions and declaring the seriousness of the situation.

His eyes remained focused on the book, although they were now stationary.

"Now." She added firmly.

"We have nothing to discuss." He dismissed her coolly and resumed reading.

"Stop hiding behind that book and let's approach this in a mature manner. Or I'll shove it down your throat. And I doubt it will go down as easily as the feather did." She threatened.

"Easily?" he snapped his bookshut and sat up to face her. "Nothing that comes from you goes down easily. Your very presence creates a displeasing lump in my throat. So do me a favour and piss off Potter."

Disbelieving that she had ever found this prat attractive, she complied and stalked upstairs.

'_Of all the arrogant bastards in all the world, I had to fall for that one. I hate him I hate him I HATE HIM! I bet he expects me to go back and apologize for HIS rude behaviour now. Well, he can just go f-'_

* * *

Victoria sat on her bed, proofreading her Transfiguration homework for the fifth time. 

True, Professor McGonagall was strict about everything, including spelling, but this wasn't the reason for her repetitive spell-check. The first three times she had read it she had barely noticed she was holding the piece of parchment. Only when she had failed to process the same line seven times did she realise that she wasn't concentrating.

It was all Draco's fault, of course. If he hadn't been so rude to her she wouldn't be up here, looking for spelling errors in a sea of meaningless words. She wouldn't be desperately trying to distract herself from reality. She wouldn't be fighting the urges to either remove his slender body from existence or fall at his knees begging for forgiveness.

What worried her the most was that several times she had come within inches of succumbing to the second urge in order to resolve the conflict that she loathed so much.

Resigning herself to the fact that she would never be able to fully process the words, let alone the contents of the parchment, she dropped it on the bed and stood up.

She hovered beside her bed for a few moments, uncertain as to what she should do, before pacing at the foot of her bed.

'_I'm being ridiculous, I have to face him sometime. And I have telekinesis lessons as well as normal school lessons, so I won't be able to hide from him forever. _

_So if I go and apologize, then everything should be ok again. _

_But on the other hand, if I DO apologize, he might take it as a sign of weakness and attempt to exploit me. _

_But if I don't, then I'll have to deal with his obnoxious behaviour twice as much. _

_But if I do, then he might still hold a grudge. __God knows how long for. I mean, look at Ron! And he never even DID anything to Draco. _

_Perhaps I should find him and force him to apologize. _

_But what good is an apology that isn't sincere? _

_Maybe he's sitting downstairs now, reflecting on the error of his ways, and when I walk in he'll burst out with an apology. _

_My god, I'm delusional. I'm actually expecting The Draco Malfoy to apologize? _

_Right, that's it, there's no other option. I'll wait him out. I just won't talk to him until he apologizes.' _

Determined, she marched downstairs and up to the couch where she had left him several hours ago.

Walking around the arm, she faced him, and all her anger just seeped out of her.

He was lying in the position he had been in when she first walked in, his head on the opposite arm, one leg propped up and the other resting to the floor. His left arm was lying on his stomach and the right was draped across his chest, the book still in his hand.

She watched his eyelids flutter with every quiet intake and release of breath, his mouth slightly open. A few loose strands of white-blonde hair swept across his right eye, shifting with every exhalation.

He looked like a fallen angel.

Smiling, Victoria leant over and gently brushed the rouge strands to the side. He shifted at her touch and his eyes flickered half-open.

Embarrassed, she quickly withdrew her hand and her face recovered its usual frown.

He gazed at her sleepily for a few moments before closing his eyes again and letting his head fall to the side. Within seconds he was asleep again, his chest rising and falling ever so slightly.

Cautiously, she leant forward again and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry."

Quietly, she made her way back upstairs, unaware of the smirk that crossed the blonde's face.

* * *

Victoria ran up several flights of stairs, cursing her irregular sleep pattern and trying to ignore her growling stomach. She was barely five minutes late, but to Professor McGonagall, punctuality was a necessity, so she had skipped breakfast and headed straight for Transfiguration. 

Tearing through the corridor she slowed down just enough so she didn't knock herself unconscious when she made contact with the door.

Bursting into the room sheskidded to a haltat the front desk, before leaning on it and gasping for breath.

The tabby cat leapt off the table and Professor McGonagall stood beside her, wearing one of her least scornful expressions. "You're late, Miss Potter."

Victoria nodded, still desperately trying to consume all the oxygen within a two-metre radius.

"Do you have something you wish to say to me?" the professor nudged.

Victoria nodded again. '_But what I wish to say and what I have to say are two completely different things entirely. I'd like to tell you that external forces prevented my punctual arrival and that the amount of homework given is the main cause for lack of sleep and student tardiness, but I doubt you want to hear that. All you're interested in is a forced apology and a reason to take points from Slytherin.'_

Out loud, she said robotically, "I apologise for my lateness, and will do everything in my power to ensure I am on time from now on, Professor."

Professor McGonagall nodded curtly and pointed at the only available seat. "Thankyou Miss Potter. That will be five points from Slytherin for the five minutes lost. Now take your place and write down the notes on the board."

Relieved that she had regained her regular pulse and breathing, she sat down and began to take out her stationary.

"Congratulations, only five minutes late, that's your closest time yet. How about next time you try to talk your way out of it instead of acting as a doormat and allowing them to deduct our points." Draco suggested under his breath.

Victoria ignored him and cursed her luck. Usually he was constantly flanked by his cronies and Parkinson, but they were all in hospital for various reasons, so lucky her, she got to sit next to the blonde git extraordinaire.

She pulled out her favourite quill, the one with the silver nib and pure white plume, and was about to dip it in her ink well when she noticed him shift uncomfortably.

She dipped it in the well and began to write, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Every time she moved her quill to the left side of the page he leaned away slightly, and shifted further away whenever she lifted it off the parchment to refill the nib.

After she had copied down the notes, she decided to experiment a little.

She began to twirl her quill, pretending to watch as the plume spun around, but actually observing his reaction in her peripheral vision.

Draco seemed to be keeping a cautious eye on the quill while leaning further away.

Acting casual, she cross her arms so the quills plume was resting near his arm.

He jerked away and nearly fell off the seat.

Turning to face him, she smiled politely and whispered, "Why Draco, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were afraid of this quill."

He glared at her, glancing at it repeatedly. "You and I have a bad history with feathers."

She grinned. "Ah, so that's it. Feather-a-phobia."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "The correct term is Pteronophobia, and I am not susceptible to it. I am simple wary of your handling of feathers, in a manner of speaking."

"So basically, you're scared of me."

"I am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too times infinity."

"Are not times infinity squared."

"Are too times infinity squared plus one!"

"Are not times infinity squared times infinity squared."

"…say what?"

"Mr Malfoy and Miss Potter, will you two kindly shut up and pay attention!" Professor McGonagall snapped and the two flipped to face the front.

"Are too times infinity squared squared plus one." Victoria hissed triumphantly.

* * *

"So what were you two talking about back there?" Harry asked during the ten-minute break they had to get to the next class. 

"Draco's fear of feathers." Victoria replied brightly.

"For the last time Potter, I do not have a Pteronophobia!" Draco said fiercely from behind them.

She pulled out her white quill and waved it at him, laughing as he leapt back several paces.

"Well, if that isn't due to phobia, then I have to say, nice dance steps Draco." Harry grinned.

"Shut up, the two of you." He snarled in reply. "If it wasn't for me you wouldn't have that sword, so show me some respect, and get that bloody thing away from me!" his voice jumped an octave as the feather came within centimetres of his face.

Several people laughed at the increased pitch.

"Alright, alright, no need to be a drama queen." Harry said.

"More like a drag queen with that voice." Victoria corrected.

The two swallowed their giggles when Draco fixed them with a death glare and she put the quill away.

"But you would look lovely in a red dress, being a blonde and all." She added and quickly skipped away before he could reply.

* * *

Victoria gazed at the fire sleepily as Professor Trelawny raved on about some mystical power and looked at how many different shapes she could see in the flames. 

When she thought she saw the shadows of Dobby getting it on with a hippogriff she decided she'd had enough fire-gazing for one day and tried to pay attention to her teacher.

The bug-eyed woman closed in on one of the students down the front, before shrieking and declaring that the child had the mind of a serial killer.

It was a pretty standard lesson, actually.

"Now, my children, find a partner so you might gaze into the depths of their mind. Remember, to see the truth, you must look beyond!" she declared animatedly.

Resigned to a lesson of gazing into the eyes of a student she had never met, Victoria paired up with an obviously bored brunette and began the long process of trying to 'see' her mind.

She couldn't help but notice the brunette was constantly glancing at her fingernails, which glittered with silver nail polish.

Trelawny swept over to them. "And what do you see in the minds of your classmates? Are they harbouring a secret? Do they posses a guilty conscience? Does deceit and obsession lurk in the depths of their minds?!" she cried and flung her arms in the air, as if calling to someone.

Suddenly, she pointed at the brunette. "You, dear child, what do you see? What lurks in this girls mind?" she waved her other hand at Victoria.

The brunette stared at her eyes for two seconds and replied awkwardly, "She is… uh… guilty of… um…having a… a forbidden lover!"

The bug eyes swung in her direction. "And is this true, child?!"

Victoria panicked briefly, but realised it was just a guess and replied carelessly, "As if."

The brunette shrugged gracefully. "Well, I tried. Your turn."

She stared at the girls eyes. They were like dolls eyes, blue and glassy. They were also lined with mascara.

Taking a gamble, she made her voice all mysterious and quiet like Trelawny's and began to bluff. "I see an obsession… an obsession with your appearance… the want, no, the need to look your best. Yes, it's an obsession with your eyes and nails. Especially your nails. You labour over them for hours, and your obsession leads you to buy more cosmetics, more nail polish, than you could ever possibly need. You have a desire to go shopping, constantly. I can see it clearly now. You are obsessed with your image."

The brunette stared at her with wide eyes.

Trelawny smiled. "Well, child, is this true?"

The brunette glanced at her fingernails and nodded. "Uh, yeah."

"My dear child! You have it!" She declared.

"I know. Um… have what?" Victoria asked, confused.

"The gift, my dear girl, the gift of the Inner Eye!" she cried joyfully. "Well done, my dear child, well done!"

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Victoria said quickly.

Trelawny jangled off to another table and the two girls stared at their hands.

"Uh, you should probably know, that was just an educated guess. I don't think you really have an obsession, you just like your nail polish, right? It's very pretty." She reassured the brunette, who nodded and looked up.

"Yeah, of course I knew that, I mean, come on, as if anyone here actually has the 'Inner Eye'." She snorted.

"Yeah, including the professor." Victoria added.

The two girls stifled their giggles as they watched the professor hover over another pair.

"Geez, we've been sitting here for ages and we don't even know each others names. Mine's Chantelle. Chantelle Bienne." She introduced herself.

"Is that French?"

"Yes, my grandmother is French, my mother named me after her. It's a family tradition."

"There must be a lot of Chantelle's in your family then. My name's Victoria Potter."

Chantelle's eyes widened. "You're Harry Potter's sister."

"Yes."

"You're a Slytherin."

"Yes."

"But your brother's a Gryffindor."

"Yes. Is this going somewhere?"

"Not anymore. I can't be seen talking to you! It'll totally destroy my reputation!"

"Whatever." Victoria turned away and stared at the textbook. She was getting used to this sort of thing by now. Whenever a Slytherin heard her last name was Potter, they dismissed her because of her brother, and whenever anyone else heard, they only wanted to talk about him.

She sighed. _'Well, at least I managed to talk to her a bit before she realised…'_

* * *

"Victoria, is there something wrong?" Draco asked as he watch the feather flop across the table. 

"What do you care?" she replied flatly.

"You've been acting like a deflated Flobberworm since class ended." He informed her.

"I have more personality than a Flobberworm." She said half-heartedly.

"Not tonight you don't. You've been staring at the feather for the last half-hour, and it's only flown over to me three times. Also, your retorts are not to your usual standard. What's wrong?" he asked again, with more determination.

"You wouldn't understand." She said stubbornly.

"Try me." He suggested firmly.

Victoria sighed and picked up the feather.

"It's nothing really, I just got rejected by another person, that's all." She summarised.

"Care to elaborate?" he prodded.

"Not really." She saw the look on his face and continued reluctantly. "I was in Divination and was paired up with another Slytherin girl. We took turns looking at each others eyes and pretending to see our minds, and I managed to fool Trelawny into thinking I actually had the Inner Eye. So when she left we both had a laugh at her expense and we were really starting to become friends when she asked my name. So of course, when she heard I'm a Potter, she blew me off to save her reputation. And there you have it. Just another emotional-teenage-girl problem that you probably can't understand."

Draco plucked the feather out of her fingers as a precaution. "Don't take this personally, but I think she's right. I mean, any Slytherin who hangs out with you is bound to end up being lynched by the rest unless they have an extremely high status and the money and power to back it up."

"How can I not take that personally? You've just told me that I am not going to have any friends at all unless they're rich snobs!" she complained.

"Not necessarily, just no Slytherin friends." He confirmed.

"Then what are you?" she asked.

"I'm…" he paused, searching for the right word.

"…a teacher who sleeps with his student?" Victoria suggested.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Is that a joke, or a proposal?"

She leant back and grinned. "You decide."

The feather wriggled out of his grasp and flew over to Victoria.

He stood up and walked over to her couch, leant over to pick up the feather, and kissed her.

'_Oooooooo YEAH!'_ was the most rational thought that entered her mind as the two engaged in another game of tonsil hockey.

She pulled him forward and he landed on her astride as he wrapped on arm around her waist and cupped her face.

She wrapped her own arm around his waist and placed one hand at the back of his head, making a mental note to tell him to lay off the hair gel.

He tilted his head to the side to gain better access to her mouth and his hand began to wander downward.

When his hand brushed her neck she couldn't help but giggle at the light touch, and he took the opportunity to breath.

Upset that he had stopped, she pulled him forward again and clamped her mouth over his, surprised that she could feel him smirking.

They were so busy snogging that they didn't notice Blaise standing in the corner until it was too late.

"Well well well, what do we have here? A little extracurricular activity?" he made his presence know with his smug announcement.

Draco hurriedly climbed off her and stood facing Blaise.

"How long have you been standing there?" Victoria demanded.

Blaise sniggered. "Long enough."

"So you heard Potter's request to be taught the finer aspects of adolescence." Draco said nonchalantly. "I'm sure everyone will be thrilled to know that." He continued sarcastically.

Blaise shook his head. "Oh no, Malfoy, you're not getting out of it that easily. I heard what she said quite clearly. She called you a teacher, and made an offer that you couldn't refuse. And now I'm going to do the same." He smirked, but it was a much thinner smirk than Draco's, one that made his eyes glint evilly.

"What? You're going to snog him too?" Victoria grinned, despite their predicament. She just couldn't let that little bit of innuendo go unnoticed.

Both the boys faces screwed up with revulsion.

"Don't be absurd. I'm going to make you an offer, and if you refuse it, then I'm going to inform the school gossips of this little relationship. Clear?" Blaise asked.

"As crystal." Draco replied succinctly.

"Good. Now here's the deal. You kick Potter here off the Slytherin Quidditch team and give me her position, and I'll keep this little rendezvous a secret. Agreed?" he glanced in her direction and sneered.

"Hell no! There's no way you're taking MY place in the team!" Victoria yelled and leapt up from the couch. "You can just forget that! As if we'd ever let a pathetic, useless little pubic louse like you fly in formation wi-" she was cut off when Draco slapped his hand over her mouth.

"Agreed. Quidditch practice is on Wednesday morning at five. Be there, and have Quidditch robes." He ordered and Blaise nodded with satisfaction. "You made the right choice, Malfoy. I can fly better than Potter can any day of the week."

She yanked Draco's hand away long enough to shout, "How 'bout Doomsday!?" before his hand shut her up a second time.

Blaise smirked and began to climb the stairs to the boy's dormitory. "I don't think I'll dignify that with an answer. Goodnight."

Draco waited until Blaise was definitely gone before speaking again.

"Victoria, when someone is blackmailing you, you do not give them reason to use the information they have against you. You go along with them, bide your time, then strike when they least suspect it." He educated her as they walked over to a dark corner. "After all, crystal is not always clear."

She nodded, embarrassed.

"Now where were we?" he whispered seductively and moved his hand to her chin, tilting it up.

"You mean before you kicked me off the team and gave away my position?" she said heatedly.

"Not in the mood anymore?" he asked dejectedly.

Victoria growled. "Damn straight. How could you do that?! That was my position, so it's my choice as to whether I give it up, and as if I would give it to him of all pe-"

Despite her obvious bad humour at being replaced, Draco slapped his hand over her mouth again.

"Tori, shut up and kiss me. That's a direct order from your Quidditch Captain, House Prefect, and teacher."

Then he moved his hand away and kissed her.

She considered resisting, but the thought occurred, _'Hell, if a sexy Slytherin wants to snog me, who am I to say no? And he is a damn good kisser.'_

Her thoughts would have probably continued along these lines, but then his hands began to roam. Only one fairly intelligent thought dared enter her head after that.

It went something along these lines: _'Oooooooooo YEAH!'_

* * *

Thanks to oddlittleoddball for the her delightful impression of 'Oooooo YEAH!' Without her, this chapter would never have ended. 

I have changed from hashes to lines to seperate different parts of the chapteras a way of portraying a lapse in time because for some reason I cannot comprehend, Fanfiction will no longer let me use the hash sign. Sorry for confusing you guys!


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Petty Pranks and Fain...

Chapter Seventeen: Petty Pranks and Fainting Fancies

Victoria awoke briefly to the sound of a screeching, indignant expletive.

"Quidditch training! Now?! But you said Wednesday!"

A serene voice in comparison replied flatly, "I lied. Now get up and follow me…"

The voices faded and she returned to the blissful nothingness of sleep.

A little while later she awoke a second time, and waited for the aftermath of sleep to leave her for the day. As she lay there, her mind sorted through the events of the previous day, and she grew angrier with each passing second. The moment she was fully awake, she arrived at a conclusion.

_'Blaise must die. Slowly and painfully, so I can savour the moment as I watch his body convulse with its final dying breaths. He will writhe and scream in pai- ok, getting just a little bit sadist here Tori. But he STOLE MY POSITION! He will pay for that! I know, I'll subject him to the tortures of the Ancient Egyptians! What do you know, that book will come in handy after all…'_

Evil ideas running through her head, she got off the couch and strode purposefully out of the commonroom, unaware of the fact that a few of her shirt buttons were still undone from last nights antics.

She walked through half the castle during her search before running to the blonde gentleman responsible for her current dishevelled state, which he made a point of immediately.

"Potter, why are your top buttons undone? You could get a detention from Snape just for looking like the mess you are. Do them up this instant, or I shall do it for you." He declared and tapped a button.

This morning greeting merely intensified her already foul mood.

With unnecessary brutality she slapped away his hand.

"Very funny Malfoy. As if you don't know how it happened, and I'll have you know that I do not intent to allow you access to my chest again any time soon. I never intended to let you grope me in the first place." She snarled.

"Yes, because you did so much to stop me, didn't you?" he retaliated smugly, an evil gleam in his eyes.

"You took me by surprise, that's all. Speaking of surprise, I have a rather nasty one planned for the new Slytherin Chaser. Have you seen Blaise anywhere recently?" she asked casually.

"The last time I saw him he was disappearing into the Forbidden Forest, so whatever you have planned for him is nothing compared to what he's going to find in there." Draco said, his eyes glittering with mischievousness.

"The Forbidden Forest? Why the hell did he go in there?" Victoria asked, suspicious of Draco's suddenly cheerful mood.

"He went off in search of the elusive Golden Snitch. It's all part of the new training sessions I've created. Each new team member tries their hand at the using the skills required for every position." He informed her, a smirk forming on his face.

"So he has to show his seeking abilities by finding the snitch in the Forest." She reworded for her own benefit to reassure she had got the gist.

"Yes. Although he might experience some difficulty trying to locate it." Draco grinned wickedly and held up the golden ball between his thumb and index finger.

"Draco…" Tori began, staring at the Snitch.

"Yes?" he asked innocently.

"You're bloody brilliant." She laughed and grinned impishly.

* * *

Victoria was unable to concentrate during class. She kept glancing out the window to glimpse the Forbidden Forest and bursting into fits of giggles. She earned many bewildered looks from the Gryffindors, but she didn't care, for she was too busy imagining what Blaise was up to at the moment. 

Drizzling some Bluebell Essence into her potion she grinned as she was struck with a delightful idea.

Checking that Snape still had his back turned as he examined some potions on the shelves, she decided to have some fun.

Embracing her roguish mood, she picked up a handful of beetle pincers, loaded them on the end of a small measuring spoon, and let fly.

A rain of beetle pincers landed on Crabbe and Goyle, who swatted at them and blinked slowly as they looked up for the source.

She quickly reloaded, and taking aim, fired the mound of pincers at the cauldron sitting between the two.

Trikster, God of Rascals and Thieves, must have blessed her hand, for her normally appalling aim scored a direct hit.

She barely had time to duck under her table before the cauldron frothed ferociously, puffed out several small clouds of amber smoke, and exploded.

Bright orange gunk splattered the Potions class and Crabbe and Goyle were knocked off their feet onto the table behind them.

Lavender and Parvati's cauldron tipped over from the impact, soaking their robes with dark yellow liquid that smelled like rotting sunflowers.

Mass hysteria was achieved in mere seconds.

Crouching under her table, Victoria sniggered as the girls screamed about their ruined robes and the boys began scooping up the luminous gunk and hurling it members of the opposite house.

The chaos didn't last long though. Snape suddenly whipped around, his robes billowing out as he did so, and roared "SILENCE!"

Everyone stopped.

Glancing over at Harry's table, she saw that he had also taken refuge underneath a desk, supposedly dragged there by Hermione.

Ron was standing upright with a shocked look on his face while a lump of the orange goop congealed in his hair, clashing with his own red colour.

Victoria couldn't help herself. She burst into laughter at the sight of him.

The sound echoed around the dungeons briefly before it was joined by giggles and sniggers from other students. Within seconds the whole of Sixth year was bent over in spasm of mirth, with a few exceptions when to came to the more expensive robe-wearers.

"I said SILENCE!" Snape bellowed a second time and people quickly stood up, trying to keep straight faces.

He thrust a finger in her direction. "Potter girl. Stand up."

Resigned to her fate, she got up from under the table. "Yes, Professor?" she asked meekly.

"Can you tell me what ingredient added to a Sowerferta Potion might render it useless?" he asked quietly.

She paused, unsure as to whether a correct answer would incriminate her. "Uh, would it be something that has a connection with the use for the potion?" she answered vaguely.

Snape nodded sharply. "And what is the use for the potion?"

"It's like a fertiliser for Sunflowers. It increases their size and health and protects them against bugs like-"

"Beetles." Snape cut in.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." She agreed casually, knowing she was trapped.

"So what do you think would render this potion useless, Potter?" he asked softly, his black eyes glittering menacingly, waiting for the kill. "What do you have in your potions kit that could possibly destroy this potions properties?"

Victoria decided to stand her ground. Holding his gaze steadily, she replied, "Well, if you spell it out like that, then I guess it must be beetle pincers."

"Exactly." He said coolly. "And what do you have in that measuring implement currently sitting on your table?"

She glanced down to see the spoon lying next to her potion: a few beetle pincers still clung to it.

When she looked back up, Snape was smiling coldly. "For disrupting my class, I believe I shall give you: detention. Several, detentions. You shall come back here after classes end and clean up this mess."

"Nice going, Slythendor." A Slytherin girl whispered behind her.

Victoria nodded. "Yes Professor."

* * *

"Well, that was entertaining. You might want to be a bit more careful next time though, Tori." Harry commented as they walked to their next class. 

"Entertaining my arse! Look at my hair!" Ron groaned as he continued scraping the orange muck out of his red locks.

"Well, on the plus side, the colours clash less than your Chudley Cannons hat." She said truthfully.

He snorted and threw a small handful of the goop at her.

She darted out of the way easily and it splattered harmlessly on the wall.

"Well, at least that's one less glob to clean." She muttered and skulked off to her next class with a wave goodbye.

With a quick glance at her watch she ran up three flights of staircases and stopped at the top to catch her breath, before scurrying along the corridor, around the corner, and into her classroom.

Three other girls already resided there, wandering about and tapping random instruments with their wands.

A chinese Ravenclaw with bright orange tips sat down at a piano, conjured up some music and began to play it manually.

A cheerful Hufflepuff with bright brown eyes and chestnut hair looked up from the flute and cheered her on.

On the other side of the room, a dark-skinned Gryffindor called out a request and began tapping at the drum kit in the corner.

A typical Magic of Music lesson.

Victoria wandered in, sat down at a desk and waited for the Professor to appear.

"Hey Tori!" the Hufflepuff grinned at her and twirled the flute. "Prof. Mack is on the other side of the castle, she's gunna be a while, so it's a free session until she gets back. Wanna try the guitar?"

"Amethyst, don't tell her that! She's a Slytherin! She'll go and tell the nearest Prof. and get us in trouble!" the Ravenclaw called over the piano.

"Lighten up Csi-zi. She's part of our class, like she'd do that."

"Oh, I dunno. She seemed quite happy to get into trouble with Snape today." The Gryffindor said and looked up from the drum kit.

"Really? What happened? Tell us Shatari!" Csi-zi stopped playing the piano and Amethyst came over to listen.

Shatari shrugged. "Hey, I didn't do it, she did. Ask her what happened."

The girls turned to Victoria.

Luckily at that point Professor McIntyre walked in.

"Right girls, time to get down to work! Pull out your wands and we'll go through our solfa!" she beamed at the diminutive class.

The girls groaned.

* * *

Victoria walked through the thin layer of snow towards the lake. 

The sun was shining overhead, but it was still bitterly cold, and she hugged her cloak around her for warmth.

Reaching the lake, she hit a tree nearby soundly with her fist and stepped out of the way for the snow to fall.

The branches cleared, she climbed up and sat on a thick bough close to the ground and pulled out her wand.

"Do." She muttered and drew the word in the air where it glittered briefly before disappearing.

"Re." She said slightly louder, a semitone up, and drew the word again. It glowed gold against the fast approaching darkness.

"Me." She chirped higher and drew the common word.

"Fa." She sang and drew the word, where it shifted from gold to red.

"Faaaaa." She sang, moving the pitch around until he letter turned gold and faded.

"So!" she finished with a flourish.

"So what?" a voice came from beneath her.

Startled, she looked down to see Malfoy leaning against the tree trunk.

"What are you doing here!?" she yelped, startled by his appearance and embarrassed that he had heard her off-key attempts at solfa.

"It's a free country. I came down to look at the lake and listen for my newest recruit." He replied complacently.

Victoria stopped and listened.

In the distance, she could hear the faintest cursing.

"Sounds like he's having fun." She grinned.

"Indeed. While you're here, would you mind partaking in another telekinesis lesson?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, alright." She turned and slid off the branch to hit the snow feet first and fall back into it.

"Such a graceful descent." He commented lightly.

"Wasn't it just?" she laughed, brushing snow off her trousers.

"I believe I shall enact revenge on my fellow students more often, since it puts you in such a good mood." He decided as he sunk gracefully into a sitting position, his cloak under him.

"I'm flattered." She replied and crossed her legs. "So what's on the agenda tonight?"

With a muttered "Lumos!" Draco illuminated their small area and pulled out a packet of Droobles Best Blowing Bubblegum.

"For me?" she asked teasingly.

"In a sense, yes. I've decided to upgrade you to something heavier than a feather, to increase your control. Plus there's the added bonus that if you shove this down my throat, it's non-toxic." He added.

She grinned and flicked a bit of snow his way.

"Very mature. Now, I want you to focus on lifting this as high as you possibly can." He instructed as he placed the small packet on the snow in the centre. "Now concentrate…"

Victoria stared at the packet and imagined that the gum was being blown into balloons and was weightless, but it obviously didn't work. Just wishing for it to happen never worked.

"Potter, get angry. Your magic is controlled by your emotions, so intensify them." He coached.

"But I don't feel angry, and I don't want to." She said in a childish voice.

"Well, then try another emotion. See if you can intensify your happiness." He suggested.

She closed her eyes and tried to think of things that made her happy.

'_Puppies, kittens, sunshine and rainbows, piled high while cherubs sing and angels play harps, good little cre- think happy, Tori, HAPPY, not sickeningly cute! Blaise walking through the forest, looking for the snitch… a butterfly floating out of a bush and him jumping, startled by it.'_ She began to giggle. _'Blaise falling into a cupboard and coming out in a dress and earrings… and stilettos… Parvati and Lavender giving him a makeover with bright green eyeshadow…'_ the giggles came at full force and she gasped for breath, _'Blaise in a male strip club, backed up against the wall with one of the village people, being chatted up while trying not to look at the dancers in leather pa-'_ she burst out laughing and fell on her side, doubled up with laughter.

"Dare I ask what you were thinking about?" Draco interjected and she opened her eyes to see the bubblegum packet floating near the branches at the top of the tree.

"I did it!" she declared in delight and the packet flew even higher with her joy.

Draco nodded. "Yes, congratulations. You did it. And in record time too. Now can you bring it back down?" he asked.

Victoria raised her hand and tried beckoning the packet, a grin fixed on her face.

Slowly, as the initial hilarity of the thoughts wore off, the packet floated down until it dropped to the ground.

Grabbing the packet, she ripped it open and stuffed three pieces of the gum in her mouth and began chewing.

"Hey!" Draco gave a cry of indignity. "Now what am I supposed to use?"

Victoria shrugged and offered him the packet.

With a roll of the eyes, he accepted it and popped the remaining pieces in his mouth.

Within seconds the air was filled with large blue bubbles that shimmered in the moonlight.

Victoria giggled like a patient of St. Mungo's and Draco smiled as they watched the mass of bubbles float up into the night sky.

* * *

The Great Hall was packed with students enjoying their evening meal when Blaise burst in, his robes and broom tattered and smeared with blood, and yelled "Draco Malfoy! Where the HELL is that snitch!?" 

The whole Hall stopped what they were doing and turned to gape. Several feminine gasps issued from various areas, not all from females.

Draco ignored the sudden lull in conversation. Turning to face the infuriated redhead he replied in a condescending manner, "Honestly Blaise, are you seriously telling me you've been in there an entire day yet haven't caught even a glimpse of the Snitch?" He tutted. "I would have expected more from one of my team members. Even _Potter_ is capable of locating and capturing a Snitch."

Blaise snorted. "Of course he is, why the hell else would he be the Gryffindor Seeker?"

"I was referring to the Slytherin team Blaise." Draco enlightened him and swept a hand in Victoria's direction.

"You can't seriously be comparing me to that Slythendor now?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"Well, it seems to me that your incompetence has reached such a level that there is none other to compare. She may be overly-cautious, moral-blinded, uncoordinated flyer, but the fact still remains that she is far more skilled at retrieving the Snitch than you, and that leaves doubt in my mind as to your suitability." He said casually.

"There is no way in hell that she is a better player than me! I bet if she were the one out there in the dark searching for a tiny golden ball, she'd come running back in minutes, scratched ad crying about all the horrible beasts that she heard!" he snarled and pointed a finger in her direction.

"Ex-CUSE ME?!" Victoria rose with her voice, ready for a fight, but then she caught Draco's eye. They were sparkling with glee, as they had that morning when he had informed her about his prank.

"I'll show you Blaise. I'll find that ball in minutes _without_ a broom, and then you'll see how the competence of a Slythendor rises far above your own." She glared at him and stalked out of the Hall, followed closely by the two Slytherin males and the eyes of the students present.

They trudged through the slush that covered the grass and once they reached the perimeter of the Forbidden Forest, Victoria turned to face the other two.

Draco stood slightly behind Blaise and slipped his hand into a pocket, bringing it out again clenched, before nodding slightly to her.

She turned, pulled out her wand and began to walk into the forest, sensing the other two following her.

_'How is this gunna work? I can't take the Snitch from his hand. But I can't keep walking, I'm going to run into something unpleasant sooner or later. What do I do? There nothing I can do. Come on Draco, it's up to you now…'_ she stopped in a small clearing and feigned searching for the Snitch in the small patch of sky above.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Draco lean against a large tree and surreptitiously snake his arm around the backside of it.

Suddenly there was a golden flash and the Snitch appeared on the other side of the tree before dashing past Blaise and fluttering into the clear night sky above.

Wasting no time, Victoria stood on a fallen log and heaved herself up onto the large bough of a nearby tree.

Balancing using her knees, she reached up and pulled herself on the next branch, keeping an eye out for the golden ball.

Needing more height, she leapt at the third branch. While she was still hauling herself up, she spotted it hovering near the leaves.

Without a second thought she snatched it out of the air, only to discover that she couldn't support her own weight using one arm.

Her grip loosened without her consent and she plummeted back down to the ground, bashing into branches as she fell.

Her left leg made it down first and gravity ensured that the full force created by her fall aided the impact with the log below, resulting in a sickening crunch.

The rest of her followed quickly and with a thud, she landed flat on her back on the forest floor.

Searing pain shot through her limb and she began yelling every obscenity she knew, uncaring as to who heard it. She wanted everything to suffer for the indignity and pain she now experienced, to be reassured beyond all doubt that there was no sense of justice in reality, as she now knew. Unfortunately, she couldn't move, so any act she may have committed to create this awareness was currently obstructed.

"Victoria Potter! Will you stop that god-awful racket and listen to me for a moment! Answer the questions dammit!" Draco yelled and she became aware that he was crouched beside her.

Focusing her eyes she saw his face was paler than usual, and there was no longer any hint of evil or mischief in his eyes. They were filled with worry and concern, pale grey in the moonlight.

"Thankyou. I think that answers the first question as to whether you can hear me. Now, tell me how many fingers I am holding up." He said and three slender fingers appeared, accompanied by a forth hazy one that kept swaying out before moving back to join the third finger.

"…Three, no, four… thre-four… four fingers." She muttered and squinted to keep them in focus.

"Close enough." He decided and the hand disappeared. "Who am I?" he asked.

"What?" she asked back, confused.

"Answer the question. Who am I?" he asked again.

"…You're Draco Malfoy. Slytherin, Hogwarts student and git extraordinaire." She rambled, spurting out any information she could locate for reference.

"And who are you?" he continued.

"I'm Victoria Potter, Slythendor, Hogwarts student and ex-Chaser." She said dully.

"And today's date is?" he asked.

Victoria paused. "How the hell am I supposed to know that? It's not like I have a calendar or anything to keep track with."

He blinked slowly. "Well, now I know what to get you for Christmas. Alright Potter, time to get up."

He slid his hands under her arms and begin lifting her gently, ignoring the colourful language that resulted.

When she was upright, he pulled right her arm over his shoulder and wrapped his left arm around her waist so he could help support her weight.

Victoria's left leg dangled uselessly on the outside and she leaned on him heavily in order to move forward with a hop.

The movement jerked the broken limb and she yelped with the pain.

"It's going to be a long, slow walk tonight…" she grumbled.

Slowly, like disfigured contestants in a three-legged race, the pair made their way through the forest, back to the castle.

* * *

"Tori? Tori, are you alright?" a pair of glasses came into her vision, shortly followed by her brother's face. 

Blinking, she waited for her memory to return.

She tried to sit up, but Madame Pomfrey pushed her back down with tutts. "You must let it heal dear! You can go in twenty minutes, but no sooner!" she said.

Her memory finally decided to come back online.

"Where's Draco?" she asked, trying to see beyond Harry.

"He's outside the door. I told him to give us some privacy. He seemed unusually upset. Tori, is there anything you want to tell me?" he asked gently.

She glanced around, but they were the only students in the infirmary.

"Uh… Harry, this is kinda hard for me to say, but, Draco and I are… well, we no longer hate each other." She said.

"I gathered that. Go on." he nudged, green eyes glistening with curiosity.

"Well… actually, now it's become sort of the opposite. We kinda… well, we still do hate each other at times, but at other times we… we get along well. Really well. Ah… got this is hard to say… Harry, I've… well, I've…" she stumbled, unable to get the words out.

"You've what?" he asked calmly.

"I've… I'vallefomafoy." She blurted out and hid her face under the covers.

There was silence, then the sound of a door opening.

"Harry mate, there you are! I've been looking all over for you! Who's under the covers?" Ron's voice resonated off the walls.

"Tori." Harry said, his voice surprisingly calm.

She peeked out over the sheets.

Her brother looked mildly puzzled. "Can you repeat that one more time? I don't think I quite caught it the first time around."

Glancing quickly over at Ron, she repeated, "I'vefallenforMalfoy."

"You've… WHAT!?" Ron shrieked.

"I wasn't talking to you!" she started, but was quickly cut off.

"How the HELL could you FALL for that POMPOUS GIT!? Of all the people in the world, you fell for MALFOY!? TRAITOR! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! MALFOY! Of all people! It's, It's, IT'S-"

They never found out what it was, because at the start of that sentence, Ron's mind shut down and he keeled over in a dead faint.

Harry and Victoria stared at the unconscious Weasley as he lay sprawled out on the floor.

Harry shook his head, and turned to her. "Well… he took that rather well, I think." He paused. "Can you say that one last time?"

Victoria breathed out. "I've fallen for Draco Malfoy."

Harry nodded slowly in understanding, then joined his friend on the floor.

* * *

There you go! My first chapter for the holidays between Year 10 and 11. 

Special thanks to oddlittleoddball for her tremendously amusing suggestions and general nudging to continue with this chapter.

Thanks to VCE Music for the inspiration to fill some of this chapter with characters based on my class companions and teacher.

That section's for you, Ms. Mack. May I never meet solfa again.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Let's see, I've got F,...

Chapter Eighteen: Let's see, I've got F, C, and K, now all I need is U…

Victoria awoke the next morning in her own bed, her mind blissfully devoid of any memories of the previous day.

Then it all came flooding back.

Swearing under her breath, she threw the covers over her head and began plans to hide under a rock for the next fifty years.

As she lay there, she became vaguely aware of an unusual amount of noise coming from outside.

Against her better judgement, she flung off the covers, walked over to the window and looked for the source.

In the distance, a figure could be seen flying through a series of magical rings that were placed in the same direction as the path of a rollercoaster: completely at random.

As she watched, a crowd gathered below the figure and shot jets of multi-coloured lights. Every time a light connected with the figure there was a loud yelp, followed by a staggering amount of cursing.

Victoria grinned as she realised what was happening. "Quidditch practice. Ah Draco, you don't disappoint."

Abandoning her earlier plans to disappear from the face of the public, and completely forgetting the reason why, she threw on some clothes and ran to the Quidditch Pitch.

When she was halfway across the field she met up with the crowd. There were students of all ages and houses, laughing and throwing random spells at the flyer.

Looking up, she began to laugh as well.

Blaise was desperately trying to make it through the circles while avoiding the spells, and failing miserably at it. Just as he flew through a red ring, a Pepper Breath curse hit him, and a jet a fire shot through the next hoop.

"I think this will develop his reflexes nicely, don't you?" A smug voice said in her ear.

Turning, she saw Draco Malfoy smirking broadly.

"I don't know how you get away with it, but I gotta admit, you avenge with style. And quite a bit of originality as well." She commented, watching Blaise attempting to dodge two spells at once.

"Of course I do. I'm a Malfoy, what do you expect?" he asked.

"A sudden and unexplainable death, actually." She replied truthfully.

He waved a hand dismissively. "Too costly, and this is much more entertaining."

"Agreed." She laughed. "So can anyone throw a spell at him, or do you have to be a member of the team?"

Draco shook his head. "Anyone can. May I suggest Cruciatus?"

Victoria looked at him, shocked. "That's an Unforgivable Curse, and you know it!"

He shrugged. "What's a rule broken now and then?"

"Draco Malfoy, you sound like the Weasley twins. Next you'll be telling me that laws are just guidelines!"

Draco's face twisted into a scowl and he grabbed her by the collar, yanking her towards him. Through gritted teeth he snarled menacingly, "Don't you EVER compare me to a Weasley. I am a Malfoy, born and bred, and I will not be compared with such unsophisticated, unwashed lowlifes."

Victoria began to see red. "Who are YOU to tell me what to do? Who are you to say who is better than someone else? Who are you to judge people you've never even bothered to get to know? And who do you think you are, manhandling me like some defenceless Barbie?!" with that last remark, she shoved her knee straight up.

The expression that crossed his face was a mixture between pain and amazement as he released her and gracefully concertinaed to the ground.

"Oooow." He breathed painfully.

Victoria realised she had just responded a tad too irrationally, but she was damned if she was going to apologise.

Head held high, she walked away, leaving a confused Malfoy to think about what he had said as he waited for the agony to leave his lower regions.

* * *

Harry lay on his back and watched the clouds drift by while Victoria sat and stared blankly at the Sykersqualsh mediating in the grass. 

'_Every single lesson we look after these blobs. WHY? What are they good for? Cheap liposuction for hideously overweight Giants? Serving as a meal for a family of pygmies? Or are they used as target practice?'_

She picked up a skewer and began poking the black lump, imagining an arrow piercing the squidgy bulk and it exploding wetly.

"Careful Tori, you might provoke into actually moving a centimetre." Harry warned mockingly from his position.

"I'd rather puncture it and see if it deflates or oozes. Which do you think?" she asked, her boredom made obvious by her truly ridiculous question.

"I think Hagrid would be very upset if you hurt another of his creatures. And I think his creatures just might hurt you if you do so. Don't forget what happened last time you squeezed one of these guys." He replied lazily.

"I didn't squeeze it. The thing just attacked me without warning. Personally, I think it was just looking for blood to suck. Do you think that's what they're used for?" she asked curiously.

Harry closed his eyes. "Dunno. Ask Hagrid. Just stop poking it before it decides to turn round and suck on _my_ arm." He yawned and turned on his side.

"Might as well. Not gunna be doing much else for this lesson I guess." She decided, noticing many other people seemed to be in the same state of lethargy as her brother.

Dropping the skewer she stood up and walked over to Hagrid, who was leaning against his hut and watching the class.

He beamed at her when she approached.

"Hey, uh, Hagrid, I was wondering, you know these Sykersqualshes, well, what are they actually used for?" She craned her neck to see the face of the half-giant and asked,

"Wha' they used fo'? Well, uh, y'see… uh, I guess they coul' be… uh…" he looked at one of the creatures, searching for an answer."Well… they'd make good pets for the kiddies, wouldn' they?" he finished hopefully.

Victoria felt her eyebrows rise on their own accord. "These black blobs, these leech/slug crossbreeds with razor sharp teeth and a taste for blood, are used as pets?"

Hagrid look uncomfortable. "Well, no' a' the momen', bu' they be fairly peaceful, righ'? 'N' they wouldn' be much trouble to keep…"

"Yes, and the first time a kid picks one up it will try and swallow them whole. Great pets, really." She said sarcastically.

Hagrid looked crestfallen. "I guess no' then... well, maybe they.... uh..."

"You don't know what they're good for, do you?" she finished flatly, exposing the lack of credibility Hagrid had as a professor.

Hagrid scratched his scraggy head in thought before finally replying, "Well, no, no' as such…"

Victoria felt her eyebrows rise higher on her head. "You mean we've been feeding and pampering these things, and they're completely USELESS!?"

Half the class shook themselves out of their relaxed state to sit up at this exclamation.

Hermione came to Hagrids aid. "Just because the Sykersqualsh aren't very attractive, active, or pleasant creatures, doesn't mean they aren't useful. Perhaps their saliva has healing capabilities, or their blood has magical properties." She suggested.

Victoria turned to face her and retaliated, "Those are great ideas, except for the fact that I had my arm covered in Sykersqualsh spit when one attacked me, but it didn't heal the gashes it created when it started gnawing on my arm! And if their blood has any magical properties, it's because it's all been leeched from witches and wizards! The only thing these sacks of sludge are good for is draining blood, and since WHEN does anyone have TOO MUCH BLOOD?" she yelled.

"When my father was suffering from Plethora, he had leeches suck the bad blood out of him. With these guys we could limit to one leech per person." A Gryffindor suggested.

"And just HOW is a Sykersqualsh supposed to tell good blood from bad?" Victoria asked fiercely.

Harry sat up and ordered, "Tori, shut up and sit down. Or I will come over there and _make_ you." He added sternly.

"Oh no, I refuse to continue wasting my time with these disgusting creatures. The only thing they're good for is repelling those in possession of weak stomachs!" she declared violently and stormed off in the direction of the lake.

"Tori, get back here! TORI! Tori…" Harry's calls faded as she marched away from the stunned class. Nobody was willing to follow her and try to reason with the angry witch.

But Draco Malfoy wasn't nobody.

Footsteps were heard behind her before she was grabbed by the shoulders and shook thoroughly. "VICTORIA POTTER! If I have to sit through this lesson, SO, DO, YOU!" he yelled with each shake. "Get your arse back up there NOW!"

Confused by the motion, but still overly enraged, Victoria did a very strange thing. Closing her eyes, she focused it all on the person currently berating her.

There was a startled yelp and when she opened her eyes Draco was two feet up in the air, hovering uncertainly and looking ready to kill. "POTTER! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" he bellowed.

Using this to fuel her feelings, she embraced them and he was flung up and over her head.

She turned and watched as her antagonist descended rapidly through the air and landed with an almighty splash in the lake.

The sound acted as a trigger and a grin spread over her face. Turning away she walked back up to the class, laughing to herself.

Harry was staring at her with a mixture of disbelief and awe.

When she was standing next to him, he asked in a low voice, "What kind of relationship did you say you had with him?"

"The love/hate kind." She replied quietly.

"Oh, I can't wait to see the other side of this relationship." He muttered sarcastically.

* * *

"Detention, detention, detention. That's all I ever hear from professors these days. So Malfoy got a little wet, so what? The prick deserved it, manhandling me like that." Victoria told Harry as they walked down to Hogsmeade. 

"Yeah, you'd think they could at least come up with something a bit more creative, like a ban on swimming in the lake for a week." He replied, kicking a stone along the path.

"But no, instead I get stuck with even more quality time with the Sykersqualshes. And you know what, I think I've seen more of Snape in the last three weeks than I have in two years. And he _always_ gives me cleaning duties. I might as well put myself down as his personal maid. And you want to know what the worst thing is? Every single morning after, the place is filthy again! Dust, spider webs, spilt ingredients, soot, slime, rust, it all returns in full force to await me the next evening. I don't even know why I bother…"

She ran up and kicked Harry's stone roughly, sending it flying through the air to clatter along the path a few metres away.

"Alright Tori, just calm down. Think of the positive side of things. We have two items, which leaves two to go before we save the world again. You have telekinesis, and you used it properly today. And we're going to enjoy a nice afternoon in Hogsmeade. So cheer up, sis." He placed an arm around her shoulder and smiled warmly at her.

Although she wasn't really happy with the touching, she didn't want to upset Harry, so she forced herself to smile back. "Alright, fine. But only if we get some sweets from Honeydukes."

He nodded and removed his arm. "Sure. I'll pay."

"Why, that's so very generous of you, Harry, considering it's _our_ money." She replied mockingly.

They walked by the shops of Hogmeade, surrounded by a far more pleasant atmosphere. The streets were busy with people out enjoying the calm weather, and the twins had to walk slowly to avoid being bowled over.

Ducking into Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes, they found Fred and George amusing a crowd of young boys with their latest inventions.

"All you have to do is slip this into their meal, and- hey guys!" Fred waved at them and George leapt over the crowd. Fred returned to the crowd, leaving his brother to do the greetings.

"Hi Fred." Harry said.

"I'm George." He corrected.

"Honestly Harry, you'd think you'd be able to tell the difference between them by now." Victoria reprimanded mockingly, earning a playful punch in the shoulder from the red-head.

"Hey, he's the boy-who-lived, he can call me Matilda if he wants. So, what's up?" he asked cheerfully.

"No much, Matilda." Harry replied. "Got anything new since last time?"

"Sure have, hold on a sec." George grinned and slid over to a shelf, pulling what looked like three roses from the top and skipped back to them.

"This is some of our tamer stuff. Here you go, babe." He handed Victoria a white rose.

She was about to ask what it did when the petals unfolded into full bloom, then began to blush red. "Roses are red and I am too, let's get together, just me and you!" A small voice squeaked from the centre of the flower.

"Gee, I bet girls would love to get one of these for Valentines Day. Can't say much for the poetry though." Victoria analysed and handed the flower back.

George picked up an apricot rose and tapped it with his wand, muttered something, and handed it to Harry.

As Harry held it, the petals unfolded and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at the centre of the flower. "Subtle, George."

Victoria looked over his shoulder. Inside there was a small cartoon of Harry and Cho together, framed by the petals.

"And last but not least, the not so tame, wild rose!" George declared and produced the third flower with a flourish. "Have a smell."

Victoria leant in, inhaled tentatively, and was rewarded with the discovery of hidden sneezing powder.

With explosive force she fell back, sneezing repeatedly while Harry and George laughed at her naivety.

"Very-ah!-very fun-achoo!-funny guys." She sniffed, miffed at being hit with sneezing powder a second time by the twins.

"Come on Tori, let's go to Honeydukes before these guys decide to show us something else 'not so tame'." Harry suggested and the two walked out of the store.

* * *

Victoria sat in the Three Broomsticks, sipping her Butterbeer in-between bites of Honeydukes Chocolate-Coated Strawberry Soldier. Every time she bit into it, the figurine gave a war-cry. Although the sound was quite disturbing, the taste was delicious. 

Harry sat across from her, eating wriggling Jelly Worms and laughing when they tickled his stomach.

Glancing up from her tankard, she saw Fred pushing through the crowd. She waved and wondered what he was going to try and pull on her this time.

"Hey guys." He said when he managed to arrive at their table. "Mind if I sit for a moment?"

"Knock yourself out." Harry said.

George plonked down next to her. "Did you guys take Mum's necklace?" he asked abruptly.

Victoria and Harry exchanged glances. "Yes."

"Oh, that's ok then. Thanks for that, it's been so much easier to do, uh, stuff, without having her yell at us. Mind you, she nearly died when she found out it was missing the next morning. I'm actually surprised you guys didn't wake her, you made so much noise."

Victoria shrugged. "If you heard us, why didn't you come out and check who it was then?"

"We were busy trying to get sneezing powder into the wild roses. It's a tough job. Anyway, I better get back to the shop. Thanks again, see ya later guys!" he jumped up and shoved his way back out.

"Sneezing powder in roses." Harry shook his head. "Those guys are running low on ideas."

"Yeah, but they had some really good ones. Those fainting fancies are genius." Victoria replied, biting into hersweet soldier again.

"Onward brave soldiers! Yadaladididididaaaa!" The figurine cried.

* * *

Victoria wandered through the corridors that evening, slowly making her way back to the dungeons for curfew. 

As she passed a window, she stopped to look at the stars. It was a cloudless night, chilly, but perfect for gazing at the heavenly bodies.

As she watched the distant lights, another heavenly body was approaching her from behind.

"…Victoria Potter." A voice announced slowly, enunciating each word.

She turned, looked, and replied with the same tone and pace, "…Draco Malfoy. How nice to see you again. Have you cooled down since I last saw you?"

His lips parted to reveal a row of gleaming teeth as he twisted his features into what looked like pleasant smile. "You mean when you tossed me into the lake like a common rag doll?" he asked sweetly. "No, I don't believe I have."

He took a few slow steps toward her. "You stripped me of my dignity today Potter. I do not take kindly to those who drag me down from where I stand..."

Victoria began to glance around, looking for the nearest exit.

He continued advancing on her, until their faces were about a hands-width apart.

"You've been a bad girl, Tori. I think you need to be punished." He said quietly, his eyes glittering.

For some reason, this sparked her memory. "Oh SHIT! I've got detention now!" she cried, and pushed past him.

Draco reached out and grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face him, crushing their lips together in a forceful kiss. While she was still stunned, he began attacking her mouth ferociously, biting and slamming their mouths together to create as much pain as possible. "And punished you shall be…" he whispered between attacks.

'_Damn, not only is he vengeful, he's a kinky bastard too! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow this is really not my idea of a kiss ow ow ohw oh oh well it isn't so bad I guess…' _she thought as he pushed her roughly against the wall and began to work her neck with the same attitude as a vampire.

Despite the initial hurt, there is a thin line between both pleasure and pain, and the first soon won over the second.

Forgetting once again about her detention, she succumbed to the blondes maddening touch and realised for the first time why girls went on about getting boyfriends.

'_Does this mean Draco's my boyfriend? Or does he think I'm a quick snog? I shouldn't just let him walk all over me, if he thinks he can just back me up against a wall every time he feels like it he's… he's… he's really quite… quite good with… quite good… very good…that's very good…' _her thoughts broke free of their regulated pattern to focus entirely on the sensation the experienced blonde was creating with his mouth.

"Ooooooh yeah…" she breathed.

* * *

Running through the dungeons, she cursed Draco for distracting her so easily. Now not only was she late for detention, she was also late for curfew. 

Stumbling along the irregular stones, she rounded the corner and barged into Snape's office, skidding to a halt at his desk and winding herself on its edge.

"Sorry… late… Malfoy… cursed… me…" she gasped, breathless and bent over.

Professor Snape looked up from the potion he was examining on the shelf behind, and his face morphed into a look of pure contempt.

"Potter, not only are you apparently incapable of punctuality, you have the audacity to blame it on a fellow student. I would take points, but I doubt that would have little effect on you, seeing as you care so little for your House already. Instead, I believe I shall present you with a task worthy of your incompetence." He waved a hand at the vast shelf holding a minor quantity of his potions. "You are to order these alphabetically. I trust even you can remember the alphabet. If you cannot however, then I shall have you arrange them by colour. Unless you are colour-blind, of course?" he asked coolly, his lips twisting into a grimace.

"No, sir, I shall arrange them alphabetically, as you wish." She replied dully, sick of his highly inaccurate jibes.

"Then get to work. I shall return over the period of three hours. If you have not made considerable progress when I reappear, I shall have you rearrange them by height order. Then perhaps by ingredient number. Then by viscosity. Until you learn to work promptly and realise the importance of keeping on time." He supplied a moral to his chosen punishment, then swept out the door, moving as silently as a ghost.

Victoria walked up to the shelves and collected the first lot and placed it on the desk, before searching for the potion with the most A's on the label.

"Aacansansa Antidote." She muttered as she pulled it off the shelf and placed it at the far end.

"Acandetenta Arsental." She read, wondering why these weren't labelled in English.

"Achy-breaky heart Acid." She raised an eyebrow. "Must be for someone who has a case of the country-western blues." She grinned.

"All-purpose Animal Intestines." She nearly dropped the jar when she saw the innards floating in the liquid. "Oh this is disgusting! Shouldn't this be in his ingredients arsenal?" she set it to the side and continued sorting the potions.

"Bluebell Blossomer… Dragonscale Polish… Love Potion No. 164… Ha, Lockhart was right, Snape does whip up love potions! …Hesitant Holluck Antidote… Postulus Prostent… Squib Seducer Secretion… why would anyone want to seduce a squib? Undead Revivant…Volcanum Mixture…" and so she went on, placing each one on the shelf and amusing herself with their labels and contents, before weariness overcame her. After placing the Zearchia Concotion in the last gap on the shelf, she slumped to the floor and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Victoria slowly became aware of reality and part of her sleep-sodden mind noticed that she was being carried by someone. 

Too tired to bother opening her eyes, she dozed, and barely noticed when the person set her down on something soft and moved away.

Rolling over, she was almost completely asleep again, when a voice said, "She doesn't look nearly so dangerous when she's asleep, does she?"

"No, but I assure you if you wake her, she will shatter all illusion you have created. Now I bid you farewell, young Mr. Malfoy. Do not dwell on this illusion too long, for you need your sleep." A masculine voice said quietly.

"Ah, fuck off, Snape." Draco replied callously. "I'll do what I like."

"I wouldn't have expected anything less from you." Snape replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "And, by the way, were those marks your doing?"

"Yes, now kindly piss off, I want to enjoy this moment of peace alone."

"Very well. But I have to say you have chosen poorly. I thought you had much more refined taste."

"Yeah, well, she intrigues me, now for the last time-"

The sound of the commonroom door closing rendered the end of his sentence pointless.

Still wrapped rather secularly in the folds of sleep, Victoria didn't bother to assess what she had just heard.

Rolling over, she curled up into a small bundle, and slept.

* * *

Hmmm, did anyoen else notice that Draco seemed to be doing a lot of manhandling in this chapter? He's becoming to be a rough little bugger, isn't he? And vengueful too, ah, poor Blaise, how I love to torture him...

There you go Purplepanther, more snogging just for you. I'm going to have to up the rating soon if this keeps up... Sorry about the excess of swear words guys, but I've decided 'smeg' and 'bugger' just don't have the same intensity asmodern daycurses.

Thankyou a million times to Dragon Tamer, who gave me the inspiration for the punishment scene. All who havn't read it, GO READ NOW! It's a truly hilarious story filled with Draco/Harry goodness and every other kind of slash you could imagine.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Remember the Five D's,...

Chapter Nineteen: Remember the Five D's, Dodge, Dive, Dip, Duck, and Dodge. 

The next morning Victoria Potter woke up on a leather couch in the Slytherin common room.

Confused, she sat up slowly and watched, half-awake, as the early risers walked past.

When she was awake enough to walk in a straight line, she got up and ascended the stairs to the girls dormitory.

All was quiet inside, with most girls still asleep in their beds.

Envying them, she picked up her hairbrush and began to sort out the black rats nest that had replaced her hair overnight.

Once most of the knots were out, she swept it back to tie it up.

She winced as her hand brushed her neck, creating a gentle jolt of pain.

Walking over to a mirror, she briefly noticed she was still wearing her uniform before her eyes were attracted to the reason for the pain. Involuntarily, her jaw dropped.

The left side of her neck was one big bruise.

It took her a second to figure out what had happened.

"Malfoy…" she growled quietly and raided Parkinson's bedside table for her jar of Bruise-B-Gone.

She slapped some of the ointment on her neck, rubbed it in and let her hair fall back over it. She'd have to put up with it swaying in front of her face until the magic took effect.

Flicking her hair to the side irritably shestalked through the corridors andplonkedinto the nearest seat in the Great Hall.

Halfway through her breakfast she noticed several people standing on chairs, looking out the windows and laughing.

Picking up her toast, she walked over and jumped up to see what was so funny.

In the distance a redhead was being chased by a bludger.

He was flying in circles and swinging his club at the menacing ball, missing it every time. As she watched two more bludgers flew at him. He dived and the balls followed, chasing him all over the pitch.

Victoria laughed as one hit him in the behind, knocking him into the air briefly.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry wave at her from the table behind. "Hey Tori, what's going on?" he called.

"Nothing much. Blaise is just enjoying another session of Quidditch practice." She replied between giggles.

Blaise swerved to avoid one bludger and narrowly avoided flying into another, forcing him into a dive. He pulled up too late though. His broom skimmed the ground before driving into it. Blaise flew for a good metre or so when it finally came to a halt.

Victoria fell off her seat laughing.

* * *

"Oh Blaise, you poor thing!" 

"Madame Pomfrey was absolutely horrid to not heal you."

"That bludger was a lucky shot, it never would have hit you otherwise."

"You're such an amazing flyer!"

The female mob around Blaise squealed and consoled the red-head while he sat in the middle of them, feigning great pain whenever someone commented on the large bruise next to his right eye.

Victoria shook her head. Even when he was slightly injured due to his own ineptitude as a flyer, he still had his legion of fangirls to fuss over him.

It disgusted her.

Feeling under her hair, she checked whether her own bruise was still there. A dull pain assured her it was still in hiding.

Sighing, she let her hair fall further forward still. She doubted a hickey would receive the sameattention as Blaise's bruised eye.

Professor Flitwick struggled onto the stack of books that sat in his chair and waved his wand. "Attention please!" he squeaked.

The fangirls took no notice of him.

He coughed politely and tried again. "Attention please! If you would all be so kind as to take your seats so we can begin today's lesson."

If the girls heard his polite request, they ignored it.

Irritated, Victoria spun in her seat to face the group and shouted, "Sit _down_ and _shut_ _up _already!"

Professor Flitwick squeaked and fell of his chair, much to the amusement of the Slytherins. Some of the girls looked at her and shrugged, then pulled their giggling friends over to the spare seats.

"Thankyou Miss Potter." he said as he hoisted himself back up. "But next time please give me some warning before you do that. It gave me quite a fright."

He pulled his hat straight and stood up. "Now, today we will practice the Beautification charm. This spell is quite good for smartening up duller parts of homes, although it is temporary. It lasts just long enough for house guests to be awed," he chuckled. "then everything returns to its original state. Now, in front of each of you is a thimble. Concentrate on beautiful things you have seen, wave your wand like so, and enunciate clearly. We don't want any tragedies if we can help it." He paused and looked at them expectantly. "Well, go ahead, start making magic!"

Students pulled out their wands and began tapping their thimbles.

Victoria watched, amazed as a blonde girl beside her turned her thimble into crystal.

Looking in front of her, she saw another girl's was now decorated with a pink rose pattern.

Pulling out her wand, Victoria imagined a harmless willow blowing in a breeze, its drooping green branches trailing in the lake.

"Pulchellus!" she said and tapped the rusted thimble.

It rippled from the wand tip to the base, spun and fell over.

Picking it up, she inspected it. It twinkled and reflected her face, a mirror for her disappointment.

"Great, a charm that's supposed to create beauty and the best I can manage is a polish job." She muttered and flicked it to the corner of the desk.

Glancing around she saw Draco sitting in the corner, holding a gleaming silver thimble with a dragon carved into it.

The boy next to him wasn't having as much luck though, and each time he tapped his thimble, the side got a new dent in it.

A squeal emitting from the front of the class grabbed her attention.

"Oooo, that's gorgeous! How did you do that?"

"Oh, so pretty! I want one!"

"It's so shiny and sparkly!"

"Wow, can you show me how to make that?"

The fangirls were leaning over their seats all around Blaise, trying to get a look at his thimble. It was golden and encrusted with tiny shimmering jewels.

Blaise smirked and wallowed in the admiration, "It is excellent, isn't it? But how could it not be? And…"

Victoria slammed her head onto her desk, causing her thimble to jump and roll off.

"…really, I just have just so much inspiration, how could it not be perfect? Everything in my home is awe-inspiring all the time. We have glass and sculptures, marble floors, crystal chandeliers, hundreds of stunning oil paintings, thousands of priceless vases, antique hand-carved furniture and rugs made of every fur you could imagine. Real, of course." Blaise added, winking at one of the girls. "My ancestors were all great huntsmen, we have an entire wing dedicated to the art of the hunt. Even the arrows they used were works of art, with silk feathers, willow shafts, diamond heads, you name it. One of them was even dipped in gold and covered with sapphires and emeralds…"

Victoria paid attention to that last remark. '…_arrows used were works of art_…_dipped in gold and covered with sapphires and emeralds…Blaise has one of the items! I don't believe it! How can he go about boasting about a thing like that? Doesn't he know? I guess not…I wonder if Draco heard?'_

She turned to see Draco looking at her. Gesturing at Blaise she mouthed 'item'.

He nodded his head in understanding and returned to examining his thimble, which now had diamonds for the eyes of the dragon carving.

Excited, she imagined the item as she picked her thimble up off the floor and stared at it pensively for a few moments.

Ready for a second attempt, she imagined the willow tree again and was surprised when a willow leaf appeared where her wand hit.

She tapped it several times, each time creating another willow leaf until finally there was a faded pattern on the thimble.

Professor Flitwick looked at hers and nodded encouragingly. "Just a bit more work on this spell and you'll be beautifying in no time!"

She smiled falsely at the chirpy Professor and tried again.

* * *

Victoria dawdled through the grass as she made her way over to Hagrid's hut for her evening detention.

Passing the Quidditch pitch, she stopped to gaze longingly at the Ravenclaw team practicing in the dying light for the next match.

She really missed being on a broom, catching and throwing the quaffle from player to hoop while the wind whipped through her hair and Jordan yelled his commentary.

Dragging herself out of her moment of nostalgia, she plodded up to the hut and the manual labour that awaited her.

Outside the front sat a young Slytherin with light brown hair and dark eyes. He looked up as she approached and grinned. "Come to serve in the great profession of the Sykersqualsh slavery as well? Nothing like an extra pair of hands for the buggers to chew on while the speedy run away screaming!" he called cheerfully, hinting a darker side that matched his eyes.

"That would be me: The Sykersqualsh snack." She glanced at her arm, remembering when one of the slug-like beasts had grabbed a hold of it.

"Righto then, time to get started. Hagrid told me what we have to do, and said I was to sit outside until a girl with dark hair and a scowl showed up." He said as he bounced up from his seat.

"What a lovely description of me. I must remember to send Hagrid a thankyou Howler." She remarked sarcastically.

He grinned even broader. "I'm Alex, by the way. Alex Marsh. Got in a spot of trouble when I tried to teach one of the buggers to fly using a ruler levered on a rock. Sent the thing soaring three feet before anyone noticed."

Victoria couldn't help but laugh as she imagined a Sykersqualsh flying through the air over students heads.

Alex seemed to appreciate it. "At least they didn't catch me teaching them to swim. That was more of a success, 'cos they're like balloons, they just float. Now that you know my dastardly criminal record, I'm gunna hafta do away with you." He mimed slitting his throat and laughed. "Just kidding. I'd never do that to a girl. Well, at least not a Slytherin girl. So what's your name? What're you in for?"

'_Oh boy, here goes the best conversation I've had with a Slytherin…'_ she thought regretfully, briefly wondering if she should make up a pseudo name.

Imitating his shortened way of speaking, she answered, "Name's Victoria Potter."

His face sagged for a second, then lit up with a grin that seemed almost too big for his face. "No _way_! You're the girl who blew up that Sykersqualsh!" he cried ecstatically. "That was _awesome_! Hey hey, can I call you Vicky? I know, how 'bout Vicky the Sykersqualsh Slayer! Vic the Rebel? Ria the Destroyer?" he babbled excitedly.

"How about just plain Tori." She said, pleased by his agreeable response.

"Ok Just-Plain-Tori!" he quipped childishly.

"So what are we supposed to do this evening?" she asked as a gentle reminder.

"Oh right, well, brace yourself now, we get to wash the Sykersqualshes bare-handed." He declared immediately.

Victoria balked at the thought.

"I did warn you to brace yourself." He said.

"No you didn't!" she squeaked indignantly.

"Yes I did! I gave you ample bracing time!"

"No you didn't! You didn't even pause!" she cried accusingly, her voice an octave higher than it usually was.

"Didn't I? Oh well. Things come out differently from my mouth than when they're in my head. Ready to go?" he asked rhetorically and walked off to a small pen nearby. Next to it was a large steel tub filled with soapy water. Sitting in the grass was soap and toothbrushes.

Leaning over the pen's fence she gazed at the blobs with disgust. "We actually have to pick them up?"

"Yeah, pretty much." He replied.

"In that case, after you."

"Ladies first!"

"Youth before wisdom!"

"Age before beauty!"

"I insist!"

"Nah nah mate, after you!"

"Fine, I'll do it then! Never thought a Slytherin boy could be such a wuss." She said, hoping desperately to appeal to his pride with reverse psychology.

"Who says I'm a wuss? I'm just smarter than your average Second Year, that's all!" he replied and stepped back, moving away from the enclosure.

Shuddering, Victoria pulled her sleeve over her hand, pulled the material into her fist and picked up the nearest Sykersqualsh.

It oozed over her sleeve as she hoisted it up and over into the awaiting bath.

It hit the water with a squelchy splash and bobbed among the bubbles.

"See, that wasn't so bad. You can scrub them." She stated and began throwing more into the water.

"Yeah right! If I gotta, so do you!" he quickly pulled his sleeve over his hand too and the two of them tossed the lot into the water.

Their sleeves covered in mucus, saliva and dung, they turned to face the bobbing mass of black blobs that covered the surface of the bath.

Victoria had to squint in the darkness to determine where the creatures ended and the sky began.

"Time for some light, I think." She decided and pulled out her wand with her left hand.

"Lumos!" she said and their small area was illuminated.

"Good thinking. I'll hold the light and you scrub them." Alex said quickly.

"Not likely." Victoria replied and muttered a luminosity levitation spell. The glowing tip separated and hovered over the bath, the light spilling onto the grass.

"Ok, grab a Sykersqualsh and start scrubbing." She ordered.

They both picked up a toothbrush, lathered it with soap and picked up a Sykersqulsh with clothed hands.

Alex's squirmed out of his grip and fell back into the bath, splashing her as it landed.

"Watch it! I didn't order a bath tonight!" she snapped, her nerves tightened by the severe foulness of the situation.

"Sor-ry. They're all slippery from the soap though." He protested.

Sighing, Victoria gripped hers harder and began to scrub the unspeakable substances from its shiny black body.

Next to her, Alex prodded one onto the grass and scrubbed, holding onto the very tip of his brush.

"You do realise that by putting them in the grass you're letting them get dirty again, don't you?" she pointed out as the blob rolled over, fresh dirt and grass blades sticking to its wet body.

"Don't tell me how to do my job and I won't tell you how to do yours." He replied grumpily, but nonetheless threw it back into the water and held it while he scrubbed after that.

Pleased he had taken notice of her comment, she returned to washing her half of the creatures. She was disturbed to see that the water they floated in had changed to the murky red of old blood.

Soon it became routine, dunk, lift, scrub, release. It seemed pointless though, because the moment they placed the Sykersqualshes back in the pen, they wriggled through the grass and became dirty again.

When there were about six to go, Victoria noticed something strange. Placing the Sykersqualsh in the pen, she stood still and listened.

Soft, but growing louder, was a strange sound, like a kettle boiling and whistling.

It was coming from the grass over the other side of the bathtub.

Moving slowly, she walked around the other side and saw a blue imp running through the grass, carrying half a loaf of bread and emitting that strange sound.

She pounced on it and grasping the imp in one hand, wrestled the bread out of its grip.

"No fair no fair that's mine that's mine gimme gimme!" it shrilled in a voice that sounded like it had swallowed a whole balloon filled with helium.

"Tori? What's going on? What's that?" Alex asked as he walked over.

"Mine mine mine mine mine gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme!" The imp screeched, clawing at her hands as it tried to reach the bread.

"I found it running off with some bread it stole from Hogwarts." She told him. "What should we do with him?"

"I say we feed him to the Sykersqualshes." He declared, a sadistic glint in his eye.

"No no no no no no no no lemme go lemme go lemme go!" It shrieked and, with the lightening-fast strike of a cobra, bit her hand.

Startled, she let go and the imp fell to the ground before running as fast as its little legs could carry it.

It got about three human paces before Alex dropped his foot on it with a crunch.

"That takes care of that." He said smugly and wiped his shoe on the grass.

"I can't believe you just did that." Victoria said numbly. "You just killed that creature in cold blood. How could you?"

"It was a thief. It got what it deserved." Alex shrugged carelessly and returned to the Sykersqualshes.

"You… you barbarian! You chauvinist! You, you _Slytherin_!" she cursed him, shaking with rage and nausea.

"Yeah, well, hate to break it to you babe, but you're one too. And who are you to criticize me? You disembowelled a Sykersqualsh!" he called back at her as he scrubbed.

"That was an ACCIDENT!"

"Well, so was that."

Victoria gave up trying to argue with the cold-hearted smartass.

Commenting to no one in particular, she sighed, "Come to Hogwarts, meet magical creatures, kill them."

* * *

"Dead girl walking." Someone commented as she dragged herself into the common room and collapsed on the nearest chair.

"Have fun in detention?" Draco asked from the chair opposite, glancing up at her from his book.

"Loads. I think I developed a really meaningful relationship with the fifty Sykersqualshes I bathed." She muttered sarcastically and slumped lower in her seat.

He lifted his book to hide his grin from her a moment too late.

"You had better be laughing at a joke in that story, or you're in for a world of hurt when I regain the ability to move." She warned.

"As well as I could lie to assure you of that wish, this book is not of the humorous genre. However, it does contain some interesting information about a particular castle we should be examining at close range. Say, at midnight, by the light of a wand?" he suggested cryptically.

"I'm too tired to figure out what you just said, but yes, whatever." She agreed and wriggled around until her head was lying on the armrest. "Just wake me when you're done reading…"

* * *

"To-ri… Tori… Victoria Potter, get off your lazy arse already. It's past midnight, and it's time to go. Move it missy!"

Victoria woke up to the sound of Draco berating her.

Opening her eyes she met his large grey ones hovering an inch above.

"ARGH!" she yelled and rolled over to hit the floor.

"Good morning to you too sunshine. Now get up, I want to get this over with. Move!" he ordered and swept out of the common room.

Grumbling and rubbing her backside, she got up and followed him out.

Victoria had just mounted her broom when a thought struck.

"Hey Draco, do you actually know where Blaise lives?" she asked.

He sent her a look that would have sent Flitwick squeaking for cover. "Yes."

"Oh, well, lead on then." She mumbled, embarrassed.

He mounted his broom and kicked off, sending a clump of grass flying.

Victoria followed quickly, pulling up until they were alongside one another.

They flew in awkward silence for a few miles before Victoria broke it.

"Ar-" she began, but Draco cut her off sharply.

"Ask me if we are there yet and I will smear you with salmon pate and dangle you in a pool of hungry piranhas." He threatened, throwing a warning glare at her.

"You didn't let me finish. I was going to say, 'Are you sure you know where we're going?'" she said.

"Yes. I know where we are going. I know when we will be there. And I know that if you ask me anything else I may not be able to resist my barbarian urges to subject you to a female version of the Three Chinese Tortures." He replied coldly.

"Ok… I'll just go thaw out then. I'm getting frostbite over here." She flew a little way to the side and the two spent the rest of the journey immersed in their own thoughts.

* * *

The pair touched down outside an ancient, impressive-looking castle. The structure towered over everything surrounding it, even the tallest trees, and was built in a gothic style. Stone gargoyles leered from every edge, their faces intricately carved to portray their menacing natures. 

Victoria looked up at one as they passed through the immense archway that led to the front doors. She shivered when she thought she saw its eyes follow her and drew closer to Draco.

Together they passed through the main entrance and began exploring the castle in search of the item. As they searched, they walked under crystal chandeliers, by grand paintings and on expensive carpets.

After half an hour searching, Draco stumbled upon a room dedicated to hunting.

The room was decorated from floor to ceiling with dead animals. Bearskin rugs, ivory hatstands, leather chairs, trophy heads and even a case filled with pinned butterflies.

Victoria stared at a large oil portrait that hung over the fireplace. It portrayed a beefy man with a red moustache standing on a slain Manticore.

On either side were the heads of dead animals, stuffed and mounted as trophies.

"Blaise was right, he does have a lot of inspiration here. No wonder he's such a cruel bastard, with a family like this…" she said to nobody in particular.

"Tori, stop admiring the artwork and help me find the item!" Draco hissed and knocked her lightly on the shoulder.

She turned and wondered where to look. The room was filled with hunting equipment and artefacts; it would take ages to search for something in particular.

Closing her eyes, she tried to take account of the situation and instead become aware of an urge to go to her left, into the corner of the room.

Opening her eyes, she walked towards the area, stopping in front of a collapsed curtain. Pulling it aside, she uncovered a glass case filled with ornamented arrows, including-

"The item!" Draco breathed and they both gazed in awe at the collection.

Finally, he unclipped the glass lid and pulled it up. Just as he took out the golden arrow, a loud screeching filled the room.

"Shit, an alarm!" he cursed and grabbing her hand, yanked her out of the room.

The couple ran through the castle as fast as their legs could carry them.

When they reached the entrance, they were greeted with a pack of two-headed hounds. The beasts growled and salivated for a moment, then lunged.

Victoria froze and Draco wrapped both his arms around her as they watched the dogs' jaws draw closer, until their vision was flooded with a brilliant light.

Half a second later, they were back where they had dropped their brooms.

Mounting them swiftly, they took off, the alarm and dogs barks fading into the distance.

When her breathing returned to normal, Victoria glanced over at Draco and asked, "What just happened?"

He stared into the distance for a moment, then replied, "I believe this item held the ability of teleportation."

She was still confused. "What do you mean, held?"

He looked over at her. "It transferred the ability to me during that moment before I removed it from the case."

"So you can teleport?"

"Yes. It's my ability now."

"And of course you wouldn't dream of using it for the wrong reasons."

"Of course not. If I happened to accidentally teleport into the girls dormitory or change-rooms, it would a simple mistake." He said innocently.

Victoria made a mental note to get dressed in the shower for the rest of the year.

* * *

Well, I must say that chapter was a lot of fun to write. Sorry I took so long putting it up guys, I kept going off on a tangent. That's what happens when you spend your entire Sunday writing fanfiction.

An interesting fact about the beautification spell is that 'Pulchellus' means 'Pretty' in Latin.

"I did warn you to brace yourself…you didn't even pause!" – Direct quote from Red Dwarf.

"…smear you with salmon pate and dangle you in a pool of hungry piranhas" – Edited quote from Red Dwarf.

"Come to Hogwarts, meet magical creatures, kill them." – Edited version of 'Join the army, meet interesting people, kill them.'

Thanks to oddlittleoddball for her brilliant suggestions for ways to torture Blaise in Quidditch.


	20. Chapter Twenty: Murphy's Law

Chapter Twenty: Murphy's Law

Victoria Potter and Draco Malfoy stood inside the broom shed, debating what to do with the third item.

"Give it to me and I'll teleport into the room for you." Draco insisted, taking the item from her forcefully.

"No, absolutely not, there is no way I am going to allow you into the girls' dorm. What if someone was getting changed?" she objected, keeping a grip on it and pulling.

"What about it?"

"No! …Ok, how about I hide it under my robes?"

"Too risky. What if someone notices it, or you drop it?"

"Are you saying I'm a klutz?" she asked and yanked fiercely.

"I'm saying that when it comes to you, Murphy's Law reins free."

"What's Murphy's law?" she asked, her grip loosening enough for him to slide it out of her grip.

"'What can go wrong, will go wrong'." He replied matter-of-factly.

Victoria glared at him and paused, unable to think of a comeback. "…I'm putting it in my pocket and taking it to my room, and that's final."

She snatched the arrow out of his hands and tucked it into a deep pocket formed from the inner lining of the robe before walking away briskly.

Crossing the grass she entered the Great Hall purposefully.

Watching the Gryffindors as she travelled down the pathway between their table and the Hufflepuffs, she noticed a familiar red-head jabbing his finger at an article in the Daily Prophet.

"…just look at this, it's outrageous, and they didn't even get the names right!" she could hear him exclaiming.

Intrigued, she wandered over to them and leaned over to look at the paper.

'**CAT BURGLARY IN WEASLE'S HOME**

_**The Weasle family were absolutely appalled to discover that their prized possession, an emerald-and-sapphire-studded golden necklace, was stolen from Mrs Weasle's own bedside table!**_

"_**I don't understand how this could happen… that was my favourite necklace… how could someone just take it from right under our noses?" Mrs Weasle asked, shocked and dismayed by the crime.**_

_**Perhaps the answer lies in the twins, the mischievous pair of her seven children.**_

"_**She was a bit obsessed with it really, she only took it off at night… frankly we're glad it's gone." Ford and Geff Weasle admit.**_

_**But perhaps the truth of the matter is that this hard-luck family just needed the money.'**_

Ron was spluttering and fuming about the bad press and terrible article, but with Victoria it struck a different chord.

Suddenly she was overwhelmed by fear, with guilt waiting at the sidelines.

"What we're doing, it's not really, stealing, is it?" she asked quietly.

Ron glanced up, looking awkward. "Nah, it's just, erm, safe-keeping."

Hermione looked up from her breakfast and answered in her textbook voice, "According to the law it's breaking and entering, stealing, and deceit."

"But we're doing it for a good cause, so it all levels out, right? It's for the good of humanity!" Ron protested.

"That's just ridiculous…" she retorted, and yet another fight broke out, although it was far more quiet and discrete than normal.

Harry shook his head and smiled gently at her. "Don't worry about it, Tori. It's for the best."

She nodded, unconvinced, before remembering that she still had the item in her pocket.

She dragged herself away and headed for the dungeons, grudgingly agreeing with Draco's assessment of Murphy's Law in her presence.

* * *

Victoria sat slumped at her desk, sketching Blaise being impaled on a broomstick while Professor McGonagall lectured them about the transformation of humans into inanimate objects.

"…resulting in stationary and harmless objects. Now that was just a brief outline of what you will be researching and presenting for the next lesson. Use the library to the fullest extent and practice the wand movement, for I expect you to not only tell me in great detail but also perform the transformation on the partner I have assigned you." She unrolled the parchment she had been using as an extension of her gestures and began to read aloud the pairs she had chosen. Victoria listened half-heartedly, paying close attention to the blood that coated the front end of the broomstick.

"…Harry Potter and Parvati Patil, Victoria Potter and Blaise Zabini, Jason Isaac and…"

Her quill's nip snapped, smearing ink over the sketch. "You've GOT to be kidding me." She said aloud before she could stop herself.

Professor McGonagall gave her a sharp look over her glasses, irritated at being interrupted. "I'm quite serious, Miss Potter. Five points from Slytherin for speaking out of turn." Then she returned to the list as though nothing had happened.

She sat there fuming for a few moments before folding her sketch neatly and promptly ripping it to tiny pieces.

'_Fan-smegging-tastic…'_ she thought sarcastically.

* * *

"Now that we know the structures of different songs, I want you to put this knowledge to use. The whole class, all four of you, are to write the lyrics in the form of a pop song. It can be about anything you like, but if you have trouble finding a theme, the most common ones are love, hate, and-"

"SEX!" Csi-zi yelled and the class burst out laughing, not at the word itself by at the ecstatic expression on her face that accompanied the shout.

"Thanks for that Csi-zi, I think I have an idea what your song will be about." She laughed and clapped her hands together. "We have a few more minutes, but I have nothing else to tell you, so be gone!" she dismissed them with a exaggerated wave of her hands and three of the four cheered and ran for the door.

Victoria took her time picking up her books and walked out at a reasonable pace for one approaching doom.

Amethyst was waiting politely at the door and exclaimed excitedly, "Isn't this great? What are you going to write about?"

Victoria shrugged and waited for the full-blown explanation of ideas that the Hufflepuff was going to throw at her.

"I was thinking that there are so many mean songs out there that maybe I could write about something happy, like that song "Sugar Sugar" that a muggle wrote, but not so repetitive, or maybe a story about two friends, or I could…" she chattered non-stop until they reached the staircase which would lead them their separate ways. "…so I think I'll do that. See ya round, have fun in Divination!"

She bounced off to her next class and Victoria grudgingly pulled herself up the flight of stairs that would take her almost directly to her class.

She managed to arrive just as the lesson had begun and fell into a chair that resembled a beanbag, planning to sleep through the class. Already the heavy fumes were making her drowsy and she slid down further, ready to fall asleep when Trewlany's voice cut through the fog in her mind.

"You there, the dark one in the back corner, I have seen something that concerns you…" she said in her mystical voice.

Opening her eyes she saw the beetle-like woman weaving through the class to stand over her.

"My dear child, I see that you struggle with a great burden…" she began.

"Yeah, that would be the mountain of homework given today." She replied bluntly, not quite in control of her responses.

Trewlany continued as thought uninterrupted, "…and a terrible struggle takes place even as we speak…"

"You mean the effort to stay awake?" she muttered and pulled herself upright in the comfy chair, trying to stay focused.

"…but you shall take away from it a valuable lesson about the rules of love and war…"

"That all's fair in love and war, I got that one already."

Trelwany stopped short and looked miffed. "Well then, since you seem to already be aware of such divine mentions, perhaps you would be so kind as to examine and describe the movements of the planets presently and the effects on the immediate future. Tomorrow." She added curtly and floated back to the front of the class.

'_More homework, wonderful… maybe I'll just use Ron's approach,'_ she thought as she covered up a yawn. _'and have many "tragedies" befall me. Not like that hasn't already happened…'_

* * *

By the time the last class rolled around Victoria was ready to crawl under a rock and die from exhaustion and stress. Potions class really wasn't helping her situation much either.

Dropping a handful of monkshood into the potion, she squinted and attempted to read the next line through the haze of steaming cauldrons.

Guessing, she threw in some bluebells and a glug of toad venom. The result was not what she had hoped, and the potion turned a sickly shade of green as the bluebells floated back up to the surface.

Grabbing a wooden spoon, she thrust it into the cauldron and stirred, hoping that if she mixed the ingredients together enough then the potion would start steaming like everyone else's.

The surface bubbled and the bluebells liquified before her eyes as she swirled the mixture around. Then it began hissing, emitting jets of noxious-looking gases.

Hurridly she pulled the spoon out to discover it had disintegrated, leaving a blacked nub of a wooden stick.

"Shit shit shit shit shit!" she muttered, horrified, and began to throw all manner of plant into the pot of acid before it ate through the cauldron itself.

The bottom of the cauldron began to seep onto the floor, followed by a trickle of the green liquid.

Stepping hurriedly away she backed into Professor Snape.

"Miss Potter, what is the meaning of this?" he asked icily, his demeanour calm despite the fact that he was watching the base of her cauldron melt onto the fire underneath.

"A slight problem. I think I misread a line somewhere." She offered a feeble reason for the present destruction of her cauldron.

"It would appear that you didn't read a single line correctly." He stated coolly, and with a wave of his wand the entire dilapidated mess vanished. "You are a danger to the class, Miss Potter. I can overlook bubbling concoctions, strange shades of potions and even badly written essays, but to be so incompetent as to create a potentially fatal substance through several bumbling mistakes is something I cannot ignore. For the sake of the class and myself, I am assigning you a tutor. If not to lift your grades, then to at least ensure the safety of the class. Not to mention to lower the expenses of repeatedly purchasing new equipment after you have been in contact with it." He passed his empty black eyes over each member of the class, before settling on a familiar bushy-haired Gryffindor.

"Now Miss Potter, perhaps working under the tutelage of your brother's accomplice will prevent any further accidents. Miss Granger," he raised his voice slightly and she looked up from the cauldron she was pretending to watch while listening intently, "you are to be Miss Potter's tutor for Potions. Any improvement in her skills will be accredited to you, as will any more failures."

Hermione nodded, her complexion slightly paler than before.

_

* * *

_

"Kill me." She pleaded monotonously as they walked through the dungeon corridors.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "It's just some outside help, Tori, it's nothing to die over."

"No, but after today I think death would be much more pleasant than a whole year of this."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Bad is an understatement. _Hideous_ is an understatement."

"Well, if you were dead, you wouldn't have to worry about having any more cauldrons blow up in your face." Ron mused.

"RON!" Hermione and Harry scolded.

"Gee thanks." She mumbled sarcastically.

"Cheer up Tori." Harry said, smiling sympathetically. "Life isn't all that bad. How about we go to Hogsmeade for a bit and enjoy ourselves?"

His attempts at kindness were in vain. "Can't. Got heaps of homework due tomorrow."

Harry nodded understandingly, although he couldn't keep his face from falling slightly.

"Well, at least _someone_ around here has their priorities straight." Hermione said loudly, glaring at Ron.

"I highly doubt that. I have to work on a project with Blaise in the library. It's like going to my own funeral." She said dully.

"Well, have fun with that. If you survive, come round to Gryffindor tower and we'll help you with your homework." The trio split off from the student crowd and headed for the Great Hall entrance.

"Dum, dum, dum dum, duuuum dum duuum dum duuum dum duum." She hummed the funeral march as she walked to the library.

Blaise was already there, sitting at a table near the back of the room.

She forced herself over there and dropped her books on the table before dropping into the seat opposite.

He looked up sharply. "Alright, let's get two things straight Potter. Just because I'm working with you, doesn't mean I have to like you. And if you even think of dumping all the work on me, I'll turn you into a bludger and use you for Saturday's match."

"So you're still on the team?" she asked, dismayed.

"Naturally. As if a few unusual training courses could sway me." He replied and returned to the book he was taking notes from.

Discouraged, she picked out a book and began flipping through it for information.

After a few moments, Blaise broke the silence.

"So how's it feel?" he asked without looking up.

Caught off-guard, she stared at the paper before replying cautiously, "How does what feel?"

"To lose the only school activity that you enjoy participating in." he said deviously.

She concentrated on staring at one word on the page, unable to form any reply.

"I bet it feels awful. Having to live each day in a place that holds nothing for you." he continued, taunting her in a slow, quiet voice. "No sport. No friends. Nothing."

She closed her eyes, trying to force back the wave of depression that once again threatened to engulf her.

"It's true, isn't it? There's nothing here for you. I don't even know why you stay…"

Desperately she tried to block out his voice, but it was hopeless. Because even if she was able to shut him up, the voice would still be there.

The voice of doubt.

"There's not point in you staying. No point in even living. _No one cares if you die. No one, nobody, nothing…'_

"NO!" she yelled involuntarily and Blaise's book fell to the ground.

"Shhhhh!" Madame Pince hushed her, glaring over her pince-nez.

He bent over to pick up the book, and when he sat back up there was a satisfied smirk on his face. "So, I touched a nerve there, did I? Dear me, how _awful_."

Victoria glared at her tormentor. "Just shut up. Shut up and do your own work already." She hissed and quickly began scribbling down notes.

Unexpectedly, Blaise began singing under his breath a variation of Peeves song. "Oh Potter, you Rotter, there's no where to run, you losing this game, and I find it great fun…"

Victoria snapped. "Find THIS fun!" she roared and Blaise's chair flew backwards and flipped, throwing him across the room to land on a table on the opposite side of the room.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Madame Pince screeched, and grabbing both of them by the collar, threw them out of the library.

Both of them sat there for a few moments, dazed.

Victoria spoke first.

"The aim of the game was to get the biggest reaction from someone by getting on their nerves, wasn't it?" she asked, and Blaise nodded slowly.

A smile broke out on her face.

"Then I win."

* * *

Victoria was still smiling when she found the portrait of the fat lady.

"My my, aren't you looking happy today." It commented as she leant against the wall and waited for a Gryffindor to leave.

"Nothing like getting the librarian to contradict herself by yelling in the library. There's something just so incredibly funny about it." She replied.

"Well, I can't say I approve of that." The portrait said.

"You don't have to." She said, and the conversation was brought to an end as Lavender and Parvati climbed out from behind the portrait.

They gave her suspicious looks when they noticed her, but quickly walked away, no doubt off to collect gossip for the evening.

Victoria darted over and grabbed the edge of the portrait before it could close.

"Now wait a moment, you can't go in there!" The fat lady protested, but she ignored her and slipped inside.

Casually she walked into the commonroom and leaned over the back of the chair her brother was sitting in.

"Boo." She said, and he looked up from his book.

"Boo back." He replied, smiling.

"That's not right, you're supposed to say 'ahhh'." She whined, disappointed.

"Ahh. So what homework do you need help with?" he asked and she walked around to sit on the armrest of the chair.

"Actually, I could use both yours and Ron's help for Divination. I need to come up with some really horrific tragedies that will happen to me in the immediate future due to the positions of the planets." She said matter-of-factly.

"You've come to the right guys then." Ron said, ignoring the disapproving look Hermione was giving them.

Victoria spread out a star chart and the three of them bent over to study it.

"Ok, these five stars around Venus look like a gang about to bash up someone, so we could say that, erm, you're in danger of, erm, targeting by…" Ron suggested.

"How about: grievous injuries shall befall dark people in close-knit cliques because Venus is in conjunction with the stars of solaris." Hermione suggested without looking up from her Arithmetic textbook.

Three pairs of eyebrows raised.

"That's pretty good." Victoria scribbled it down quickly.

Ron shook his head disbelievingly and whispered, 'she's such a hypocrite'.

"I heard that."

* * *

Victoria wandered wearily into the Slytherin commonroom and sat down on the nearest couch.

Placing her finished Divination homework and partially done Potions assignment on the stone floor, she took out one last piece of parchment.

She sat there for a while, just staring at the paper, unable to write anything.

'_Come on Tori, it's just lyrics, the hardest thing is making them rhyme, so just pick a subject already!'_ she coaxed herself into writing down the three main themes, then stopped.

She was at a total loss what to write about. She only took the class as a filler, and actually hadn't the slightest idea about how to write music.

She looked around the room for inspiration. In the corner Draco was pouring over his own homework, sitting at a dark wooden table that sat farthest away from the fire.

She could just imagine him in his manor, sitting at the head of the long dining table covered in delicacies and fine silverware, entertaining hundreds of rich people.

She began writing about great wealth and magic, and how it couldn't buy happiness. Four lines later she ripped off the top half, screwed up the piece of parchment and threw it away in disgust.

The paper-ball hit Malfoy in the back of the head.

He whipped around, glared at her and snapped, "Watch where you throw your garbage, Potter."

It was the inspiration she needed.

Returning to her work, she began writing about pompous gits.

'_You think you're all that, do ya?_

_You think we all adore ya._

_Well I got news to tell ya:_

_You're just another fella._

_Another fella with an attitude…_

_Another fella who's damn rude.'_

Satisfied, she put it on top of her pile of homework and walked upstairs to fall into bed.

However, there was already something on it.

"Blaze, shove over, I wanna sleep." She complained and reached out to gently push her cat aside.

Blaze reared back and hissed, fur standing on end.

Quickly she drew her hand back.

"What's got into you?" she asked, moving forward slowly.

Blaze tensed, then leapt off the bed, running out the door at lightening speed.

"Crazy cat." She muttered, then at long last crawled into bed.

* * *

Hey guys, sorry for such a long wait, but you know how it is with homework.

Sorry about the lack of Draco in this chapter, but I thought Tori should spend some time with her brother for once.

"Boo." "Boo back." - Queen of the Damned

Now for the long wait until the next chapter.


	21. Chapter Twenty One Will Never Come

Dear readers,

I apologise a thousandfold but I am unable to continue this story.

First it was school, then it was work, then it was uni, and all of these don't leave with me enough time for maintaining a novel. But that's no excuse.  
The sad truth of the matter is, I've lost my childlike grip on the world of Harry Potter and I just can't write like I used to. My style and changed and, hopefully, matured.  
Worst still, I lost all the outlines for the following chapters when my computer crashed and only got some back recently. Plus I never did figure out how to end the story.  
I apologise to those of you who waited so patiently for me to resume writing, and I give you my heartfelt gratitude for choosing my story to spend several hours reading.  
For the record, here is what I remember was going to happen:

**Plot**

Voldemort wants four items with Sapphires and Emeralds in them because they each can give people special powers: Telekinesis, Telepathy, Teleportation and Transmogrification

Item #1: Sword

Found: Malfoy Manor – Fencing room - Telekinesis

Item #2: Necklace

Found: Weasley's Burrow – Mrs Weasley's jewellery box – Telepathy

Item #3: Arrow

Found: Zabini Estate – In case on wall – teleportation

Item #4: Earring

Found: Longbottom Residence –Neville's treasure box/mothers – transmogrification

All four together can allow someone to be unbeatable

Victoria Potter set off the Sword, and received telekinesis, and hurt Blaise

Mrs Weasley set off the Necklace, and received telepathy, and could tell Fred and George were lying

**Spoilers**

Sirius and Narcissa never get married.

Tori accepts Draco and he loses interest in her, and they go back to 'hating' each other... I think…

Voldemort was waiting for them to find all four items, then tries to take them. There's a big battle scene and somehow everything turns out alright and the objects are destroyed, and everyone loses their powers and returns to normal.

The last scene is on the train going home, and Victoria looks out the window at some rose petals blown on the wind.

**Chapter 21 Outline**

Cats are sensitive to evil magic.

Blaise plays in Quidditch match against Ravenclaw and continually misses the ball. They lose, and he is so pissed off he grabs a beaters bat and hurls it at a member of the opposing team. He is yelled at by Hooch and banned from playing on the Slytherin team.

Tori is ecstatic, grinning in the crowd.

Defense against the dark arts: Snape hands the work out then returns to his potions class, muttering that he should have the job. Tori shakes her head and wonders for the hundredth time why they left the class unattended rather than cancel it.

The work is 4th year stuff on curses, like impedimenta. Tori wonders who she could practice on, wondering if she could jump Millicent Bulstrode.

Magic of Music, Miss Mack talks to her after class about her lyrics and suggests finding something she is really passionate about and then writing.

Hermione is new tutor for potions. Tori goes to Gryffindor tower and they study a while before her constant reminder that it's simple gets on her nerves and they fight verbally. Harry runs over and claps a hand over her mouth, telling her soothingly to calm down. Ron comments from the corner not to bother fighting, Hermione always throws in some dated fact to throw you off guard and wins. Hermione retaliates and they begin to fight. "So Ron can argue with Hermione but I can't?" "He knows the risks he takes with it, but you can't afford to lose your only help with potions." "Who says she's my only help? Draco had the second-highest score in the class last year." "Draco also knows the teacher personally , Tori." About to reply when they hear Neville talking timidly about an pretty heirloom of his grandmothers, a golden earring with sapphires and emeralds to Lavender and Parvati. Harry and Tori exchange glances and wander over to talk about it after the girls leave. "They wanted to know about what kind of jewellery guys like…" he explains, blushing.

Go find the item in Neville's grandmother's house, in the jewellery box.

All four items under bed, Tori falling asleep when senses movement in the dark, a flash of a shape entering the window above the is level with the ground. Waits, watching with lowered eyelashes until sees more movement and a creature runs through a slice of moonlight. It resembles scabbers… PETTIGREW! The shape scampers under her bed and she leaps out from under the covers and ducks under, trying to grab the rat. It bites her and runs past her feet and scurrying up the wall, disappears. "He was after the items…"

That's all folks.  
Thanks for reading.

_Burnse_


End file.
